Hero of Azeroth
by FutureShock
Summary: Link is the legendary Hero of Time who has saved Hyrule many times, but now he needs to rise up and save another world. After a strange occurrence he finds himself in Quel'Thalas, and little does he know of the dangers that lie ahead.
1. A Link to Another World

What's up people and welcome to my newest fanfiction. This idea came to me a _long _time ago, and I've recently been inspired to finally post it. This story will take place before the undead's invasion of Quel'Thalas. Not like the day before but no more than three months. Also Link is based off of his Ocarina of Time character model and will also have the items from OOT, for his voice I usually think of Tapion from DBZ(yes he will talk, but sometimes he will speak through facial expressions and body motions. And even though he has a set voice his grunts and yells are still the same as in OOT). Also the units won't be gender specific, meaning there can be female swordsmen or male sorcerers etc. How will Link affect the events of Warcraft, and will he ever return home? Read and find out!

* * *

Chapter One: A Link to Another World

It had been a few years since Ganondorf tried to take over Hyrule, his plan almost worked but it failed in the end. He didn't count on Link becoming such a threat. Link was an eighteen year old Hylian man, he was a descendant of the legendary hero who shared his name... because of this he was destined to become a great hero himself. Upon pulling the legendary Master Sword out from the pedestal of time, he was able to challenge and defeat Ganondorf once and for all. He still kept all of the items he had gained over the journey, and the Master Sword was safely strapped to his back.

Now the noble hero spent his days in peace, taking the time to appreciate Hyrule more. The more he explored, the more good he felt inside. It was a great feeling to know that he was doing good for the world. Despite each race being different they all had some problems to face, and luckily Link was there to help. The brave hero was ready to tackle any challenge that was thrown at him.

In order to save Hyrule he needed to go to every single corner of the land, and he almost always had to help out the people that were there. It was a chance to meet them and get to know their ways. In the end he always received nothing but kindness for his services. Sometimes it was nice to stay in that area and enjoy himself for a little while. Lake Hylia looked beautiful during the sunrise, and fishing was only sometimes frustrating. Atop Death Mountain Link could see all of Kakariko in the distance, it was quite a sight to behold.

Even after saving the world from evil there was still trouble being caused. Just the other day he had to stop bandits from robbing Lon Lon Ranch, it wasn't too difficult for him and Talon had rewarded him with free milk. It wasn't like he was expecting a sack full of rupees or anything like that, but the milk he received wasn't the freshest it's ever been. Luckily, if one could say that, he did receive another reward. It came in the form of a kiss on the cheek from Malon herself. The Hero of Time ended up leaving the ranch with a huge blush.

After that 'incident' he traveled to Kakariko Village to stay in the inn(_I'm not sure if it's an inn but it's the place Talon slept in when you're an adult_), he slept comfortably for about twelve hours. He awoke the next day with a big yawn. _'That might have been the best sleep I've ever had.'_ He thought to himself as he got out of bed and dawned his Kokiri tunic and boots. Link walked out of the building and was heading for the potion shop, he was going to fill up his empty bottles before leaving. He turned right and went up the stairs, he then went up the next set of stairs and then entered the potion shop.

The man behind the counter smiled as he watched a familiar customer approach. "What will it be Link, two red and two green potions?"

"Yes, please." He reached into his very deep item pouch and pulled out his empty bottles, he then handed them to the man. He watched as the store owner poured the respective potions into each bottle.

With each bottle full the man handed them back to Link. "That will be ninety rupees."

The hero reached into his wallet, which was conveniently located next to his item pouch and gave the man one purple rupee and two red rupees.

"Thank you, come back again soon."

Link waved goodbye and left the shop. He was now making his way towards the exit to Hyrule Field. As he was walking the hero looked up to the sky, it seemed pretty clear. There was something that looked like a tornado off in the distance, but Link didn't seem to notice it though. The Hero of Time waved to the people of Kakariko Village as he was leaving.

"Farewell Link." Anju said as she waved to him

He smiled and then continued on with his business. Link walked down the stairs to Hyrule field, but once he left the village things took a dark turn.

Right away Link could tell something bad was happening. He caught sight of the huge swirling storm in the middle of the field. It seemed to be expanding in size, and it also shot out several lightning bolts. The courageous hero had never seen or heard of anything like this before, the winds in the Desert Colossus were pretty bad... but they never did anything like this. _'This is bad!' _He thought to himself as the now tornado started moving towards the castle.

Thinking Quickly he started running towards it, he hadn't any idea on how to fight off a tornado, but he would give it his best shot. As Link came into a good distance he pulled out his bow and an arrow. With some mental chanting the arrow tip started glowing blue, after a few seconds he fired the ice arrow at the swirling storm. The arrow didn't do anything however, it just passed right through. Trying to freeze it didn't work, it seemed like a good plan though.

Link was now trying to think of another plan, but as he was thinking the tornado was pulling him towards it. The courageous hero tried to resist but it didn't work, the winds were just too strong. A few moments later Link found himself spinning around in the storm, he screamed as it spun him around very quickly. All the while his clothes were being ripped to shreds and his hat had flown off his head. The tornado kept going for a few moments before slowing down and then eventually stopping. It hadn't done any damage but Link had been sucked up and taken away. The legendary hero was gone...

A few days later and everyone was still searching for their missing hero, but they had yet to find him. Two days ago Zelda had sent out some guards to bring Link to the castle. She waited for hours and eventually the guards came back, although they came back empty handed. When asked where Link was her guards told her they couldn't find him, this worried the princess of Hyrule and she decided to send out a message to all corners of the land. Thus the world search began.

No part of Hyrule was left un-searched, and almost everyone was helping. After looking for days they came up with nothing, it was as if Link had just disappeared. Zelda was still hopeful that he would turn up, and she continued her quest. Days turned to weeks as the princess barely slept, there were still no signs of the legendary hero. Eventually she gave up, and it seemed that he died somehow. The only thing found of him was his green hat.

It was then that she remembered the vortex that a villager in Kakariko told her about, he said he could see it from the roof he was sitting on. She guessed that Link tried to stop it and had perished trying to do so. The legendary hero who saved all of Hyrule was gone, but thanks to Zelda he would not be forgotten.

* * *

Near the border of the forest land of Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron, was the High Elven village known as Foreithel. The people there were tasked with watching/protecting the entrance to their land. If any invaders or enemies showed it they would have to get through the initial wave of forces stationed there. Sure, not all of the Elves at the village were soldiers, but a good amount of them were trained to fight and be ready to fend off any attacks. If need be they could send word to other villages for reinforcements.

If it really came down to it they would call upon Silvermoon City for aid. Silvermoon was the capital city of Quel'Thalas, and that was the place where most of the Elven affairs took place. War meetings, councils with other high ranking members of other races, or even just the current state of the Elven lands. Are they managing resources well, should new towns and cities be built etc. It was also quite the sight to behold, making it known as one of the most beautiful cities in all of Azeroth.

It was nighttime and a good amount of the Elves in Foreithel had gone to bed, others chose to go out to the tavern and have a few drinks. Most of the time it was off duty guards, there was nothing better than getting drunk after a long shift. Others just got drunk for the fun of it. For all the non soldiers they generally worked during the day, and at night they could do whatever they wanted. Sometimes people would just pass out in the center of town because they couldn't make it home... but they were almost always brought home or to the inn.

While the people either slept or were awake, there were always guards watching over them. Foreithel had several watch towers, to ensure no part of the town would be defenseless. Of course there were also ground troops patrolling the roads and many buildings. High upon the guard towers, several Elven warriors, mages, priests or archers were sitting atop it, keeping eyes out for any sign of danger. "I can't believe how boring these night watches can be." Valmir droned as he sharpened his arrows. For the past couple of months the night watches had become boring, rarely anything happened during the dark of night.

The sorceress standing next to him scoffed. "At least it's better than some sort of attack."

"Yeah, be glad we don't have to fend off an army." Another archer added.

He looked over to the two females with a smirk on his face. "Don't tell me you wouldn't be excited if we got attacked?"

The two looked at each other and then back at the archer. "No!" They shouted in unison, and then they all shared a laugh.

The night went on and nothing of interest really happened, the two women shared some idle conversation while the male Elf kept sharpening his arrows. He was secretly hoping something would happen, but it seemed as though it would be just like any other night. On the one hand these boring nights meant that nothing bad was going to happen, on the other hand it meant nothing was going to happen at all. Part of him wanted to just go and get drunk during his shift, but that was how one would lose their position as a guard. So he just decided to count his blessings and take the good with the bad.

It was then that his ears perked up, he looked out into the deep forests.

"What's up?" The female archer asked.

"Shh, listen."

All of them were now listening hard, and thanks to their big ears they could hear a faint scream in the distance. It was as if someone was falling from a great height, they also heard a hard landing happen. "What was that?"

Valmir shrugged. "I'm not sure, but we should check it out." He was ready to go but the others weren't so eager. "Come on we have to go."

"Should we just leave the tower unguarded, what if something happens?" In times of war that would have been a good point, but since Quel'Thalas was usually peaceful nowadays it wasn't much of a concern.

"Nothing ever happens around here these days, and what if somebody out there is hurt or in need of help?"

While he made a good point she still didn't like the idea of leaving their post, even if it was for a little bit. What if something happened when they were gone? That was also how one would lose their job. "How about you two go and I stay and watch the tower."

"Fine, come on Anarial, let's go."

She nodded and the two of them went off, leaving the sorceress behind to watch over things. Anarial grabbed a lantern so that they could see better, Elves could naturally see better in the dark but additional light was always _very _helpful. The two of them ran to the stables and mounted their horses, with two whips of the reigns they took off into the night. There was no telling what just happened, but they still needed to investigate.

They traveled as fast as their horses could take them, neither were sure where the scream had exactly come from but they had a general idea. _'This had better not be a waste of time!' _The male Elf thought to himself as they navigated through the wooded lands. After several minutes the two Elves neared the border of northern Lordaeron. Their horses stopped as they looked to each other. "Alright whatever screamed couldn't have been farther than here, so if we search around here we should find it."

"Right, I'll search west and you search east." Anarial turned towards west and prepared to leave. "Meet back here after the search, hopefully one of us will have found something."

He nodded and the two headed off in their respective directions.

* * *

The Elven soldier was scanning the entire landscape, he guessed he was looking for some sort of person or animal. Either way it wouldn't be too hard to spot around here. It would have been easier with some light but Anarial had the lantern, he would make do though. His horse galloped across the grassy fields, doing it's best not to run into any trees or big rocks.

Owls could be heard in the distance but that was it, the woods of Quel'Thalas were usually pretty quiet and peaceful. Occasionally there were Trolls making a ruckus, or Ogres banging around in their mounds, but other than that nothing would really happen.

"Is anyone out here?!" Valmir asked to the forest, hoping to hear something from the screaming thing. There was no reply, but his Elven ears could hear some footsteps in the distance. His horse started to slowly trot over to where the footsteps were coming from, in the distance he could see a man lying face down and a troll creeping towards him. The archer readied his bow.

"Dinner time." The Troll licked his lips and raised his axe in the air. He brought it down but then dropped it, his body then fell to the ground as well. A well shot arrow pierced his head and killed him.

The archer smirked as he dismounted his horse and went over to the man. His clothes appeared to have been torn up by something, they weren't fully gone but still pretty tattered. _'He doesn't seem injured, but he does look a little hurt.' _He picked up the downed man and brought him over to his horse. The elf placed the man on the back of his horse and then galloped away. He made sure to take it slow so that this person wouldn't fall off the back of the horse.

* * *

Anarial didn't find anything in the immediate area, she searched all over but found nothing. After several minutes of searching she decided to head back to the border. Once there she waited for her fellow guard to return. She waited for another few minutes and then finally he returned. "Hey what took you so long?" It was then that she noticed the unconscious man on the back of his horse. "Who's that?"

"Not sure, I found him face down on the ground, a Troll was about to kill him until I stepped in."

"The scream must have come from him, but what was he doing out in the woods this late at night?" It didn't make sense, nobody would dare wander the forests at night. Sure Quel'Thalas was peaceful, but the woods had a certain magic to them. That was why the Elves rarely chopped down the trees, and why they didn't wander the woods at night. Disturbing the trees and the land was a scary thought for the High Elves.

Once again the male Elf shrugged. "I don't know but we should take him back to the village, he looks like he could use some help."

The female Elf agreed and the two went back to their village. Luckily Foreithel was close to the border, and the ride back didn't seem as long this time. Of course, they still had to be careful though. They didn't have anyway of knowing everything that was out there. After about a ten minute ride they made it back. The two rode to the stables and returned the horses, hitching them up to their respective posts. The two grabbed the man and headed for the inn. They entered the inn and walked up to the innkeeper.

Running the inn was a young male Elf with short brown hair. He wore a long blue shirt, brown pants and boots. "How can I help you two?" He asked with a smile.

"Our friend here needs help, we were hoping to get a room for him to sleep in."

"Of course, here is your key." The innkeeper handed him the key. "His room is on the second floor and all the way at the end."

"Thank you." They said in unison as they walked up the stairs to the second floor, and then they walked to the end of the hallway.

Inside the room was a medium sized bed and some various pieces of furniture, he set him down onto the bed. "There you go buddy." Valmir then turned him over and removed the sword and shield from his back. "This is a weird looking shield, I've never seen this symbol before."

"Perhaps it belongs to one of those Human clans, like the Nation of Stromgarde." Anarial guessed as her partner placed the sword and shield against the wall.

"Maybe, but this person doesn't look Human. His ears are those of an elf."

She took a closer look and realized that he was right, plus his skin was a little paler than a Human's. "Maybe he's Elven, that would explain why he was wondering around the woods. Not to mention his pale skin and pointy ears."

It was one idea but the male archer didn't think she was right. "I'm not sure, we would have surely seen him pass through Foreithel at some point."

The male archer then noticed his golden gauntlets, it appeared to be the only armor he had on. "Why would he only wear armor on his hands, surely he would want his whole body protected? Judging from his sword and shield he must be a warrior, and most warriors would want to protect their body."

"Maybe he's choosing to be more agile, the lack of heavy armor makes him faster." She pointed out. Anarial quickly realized that this was getting them nowhere, so she decided on what their next course of action should be. "I think we should get a priest over here, to heal up his wounds. Once he wakes up we can ask him who he is and where he comes from."

The male archer nodded and the two headed off.

* * *

Twenty minutes later the two Elven guards returned after visiting the chapel, they explained the situation to High Priest Anandor; an older man with long grey hair and a white and blue robe, and he agreed to come help. The three headed back for the inn and went upstairs. The man was still lying down on the bed. Anandor inspected the man, looking for signs of injury. "He doesn't appear to be too injured."

"Can you help him?" Anarial asked as the priest chuckled slightly.

"Of course, there is little that the light can't do for someone." While some Elves chose to study arcane magic, there were still a few who chose to remain faithful to the holy light. Arcane magic for the most part was more offensive magic, while holy light was more defensive and protective. Anandor's hands started to glow yellow as he moved his hands across the man's body, this caused the person to start glowing yellow as the light was healing him. This continued for several moments before the high priest stopped. "There he should be all better, but I would let him sleep for tonight before waking him up."

The two sighed in relief. "Thank you Anandor, we'll let you know how he is in the morning."

The priest nodded before exiting the room.

Now it was just the two Elves and the unknown stranger in the room. "We should return to our post, I'm sure he'll be fine if we leave him for the night." Anarial said as the male archer slowly nodded, part of him didn't want to leave this man alone. Then again what was the worst that could happen. They walked out of the room and went back to their guard tower. In the morning they would hopefully get some answers out of the man they rescued.

* * *

There is the first chapter and I hope I did a good job of setting the stage. I chose the High Elves because they are my favorite Warcraft race, plus Link sort of looks like one himself. The next chapter will have both questions and answers, along with more Elves making an appearance. I know I didn't really describe or name some of the Elves I wrote about, but the next chapter I'll go into more detail. I also had to look up some names of Elves and Elvish towns, and I won't use the names they have in WOW. I think those places were named after Arthas came through Quel'Thalas. Things will get crazy later on so stick around for that. R and R and Merry Christmas from my big ol heart!

FutureShock


	2. Welcome to Quel'Thalas

Chapter Two: Welcome to Quel'Thalas

Link's eyes slowly started to open, his body was still feeling a little stiff. The last thing he remembered was trying to stop that cyclone, after that it was all blank. Perhaps he was dead and this was some sort of after life. It was a possibility but also a bit of a stretch. When his eyes were finally open he looked around, it appeared that he was in some sort of house. The hero sat up and rubbed his head, he looked over and noticed his sword and shield in the corner of the room. There was also a set of clothes on top of a chair. _'This is weird.' _He thought to himself as he stepped out of bed. When rubbing his head Link didn't feel his hat, and it didn't appear to be anywhere around the room. His eyes then drifted to the rest of his body and he noticed his clothes were all torn up, he could only assume they were ripped apart by the tornado.

About a second later and the door opened, walking in was a tall man with pointy ears, glowing blue eyes, and what appeared to be leather armor on. Link stared at him strangely, he had never seen anyone or anything with glowing eyes before. The strange man didn't seem to notice the confusion on the stranger's face, he merely smirked. "Good to see you're awake, we were beginning to think you would sleep forever."

That was one of Link's traits... but only because of the small amount of sleep he receives, due to always having to be on the move. "Who are you?" The legendary hero questioned.

"My name is Valmir, I'm the guy who saved you from a Troll last night."

Link just stared at him blankly, he had no idea what a troll was. Then it dawned on him that he wasn't dead, why would he need to be saved if he was already dead... but if he wasn't in the afterlife than where was he?

"You got a name?"

Link snapped out of his thoughts as he turned towards the man. "Link." He answered, getting ready to ask more questions. "So where am I?"

That question made the pointy eared man laugh. He kept on laughing before noticing the slightly confused, but mostly annoyed expression on Link's face. "Oh you were serious." He sighed before answering. "You're in Foreithel, but more specifically Quel'Thalas."

The Hero of Time was now even more confused, he had never heard of any of these places before. A lot of questions were on his mind and he needed to think of what to ask first. Although his first instinct was to state a fact rather than ask a question. "I've never heard of Quel'Thalas before." He admitted.

"Yeah right, and I'll bet that you've never heard of High Elves before either." Valmir laughed at his joke but once again the strange man looked as though he didn't have a clue. Once again the Elven man sighed, this guy was either a total idiot or was not even from this world at all. Yet he had the appearance of a High Elf, except he also looked Human. "How could you not be familiar with Elves, you are one for Sylvanas' sake!" This whole situation was making Valmir angry, was this man just playing a joke on him?

"I'm not an Elf I'm a Hylian!"

The man's comment didn't help disprove his theory in any way. "Okay let me just ask you one question... where are you from?"

"Hyrule."

That answer left the Elven warrior puzzled, in all the books about Azeroth they never mentioned anything about someplace called Hyrule. Perhaps he just hadn't studied the maps hard enough, there were was a small amount of small land masses around the world... anyone of them could have been called Hyrule. Then again perhaps his 'playing a joke' theory was correct after all. The next logical question was how he got here, that could also solve where Hyrule was and also find out if he's lying. "So, how did you end up in the woods anyway?"

"I don't know, the last thing I remember was trying to stop a tornado." He explained.

"I see... and I'm guessing you failed in stopping it?"

Link froze up for a second before slowly nodding his head. It just dawned on him that the twister probably reached the castle, all of the buildings and people wouldn't stand a chance.

The archer had asked that sarcastically, but the look on Link's face was one of pure terror, meaning there must have been truth to his claims. "Hey are you alright?" Valmir was staring blankly at the Hylian man.

Link was still trying to process all of this, there were so many questions. It appeared that neither him nor the Elven man knew about where the other was from. Perhaps the tornado sucked him up and sent him to another world. It was a crazy theory but the only one he could come up with. People back in Hyrule often talked about the possibility of other worlds existing. The Hero of Time never really believed them though, but now it might have been true. "I'm fine, it's just... this is so much to take in. I just can't believe it's possible to travel to other worlds."

The Elven archer raised an eyebrow. "So you think the tornado sucked you out of your world and brought you here?" He received a nod. "That still seems farfetched, I know our mages can create portals to other places but... a twister? I'll have to check with them on that." He looked over and saw the man just sitting there, still having a look of shock on his face. "It looks like you need some time to take this all in, I'll leave you alone for a bit so you can start adjusting." Right as he was about to leave he stopped. "Those clothes are for you, your current outfit seems to have received some damage." Valmir walked out of the room and closed the door.

With the Elf gone the Hero of Time was left alone to process all of this information. Link once again looked at himself and remembered that his clothes were in bad shape, although torn clothes were the least of his problems right now. He simply sighed as he started to undress and grab the new clothes.

* * *

Anarial was downstairs sitting at a table waiting for him to come back down. Her partner had chosen to go up and talk to the strange man and get some answers. Once he did that he was going to tell her what he knew. The female High Elf took a sip of milk from her mug, she then saw him approach. "So, how'd it go?"

"Okay, I guess."

From the way he said it she didn't think it went so well up there. Part of her expected there would be some trouble with the stranger, it was just a hunch she had. "What happened?" She wondered.

"Well, his name's Link and I can't tell if he's stupid or just playing a trick on me. He claims to have come here from another world."

Anarial blinked twice. "What do you mean, did someone send him here?"

"I'm not sure, Link said a tornado sucked him up."

The female Elf was just as confused as he was, how could something like that be possible? She put her hand on her chin and began to think. "How do we know he wasn't lying?" It was a possibility, although kind of a small one.

"That's what I thought at first but I don't think he was lying, I could see the look of shock on his face when I told him he was in another world. Plus what would he have to gain from lying to us?"

This made Anarial think even harder, perhaps her fellow soldier was right.

"That tornado must have had some magical properties to it, it's the only explanation."

She looked at him and then nodded. Everyone says that the forests of Quel'Thalas has magical properties to them, so why couldn't a tornado have the same. "Poor guy, it must be hard for him." Being taken out of your home and into another was a scary thought, not to mention hard for the person who got sent to that other world. She didn't even want to think about if that happened to her.

The Elven man rolled his eyes. "I can only imagine." He received a glare from his fellow guard. "Look it's not like he's stuck here forever."

"What do you mean?"

He felt like slapping his own forehead. "You do know that our mages are capable of creating portals right. I'm sure that they can create one that can take Link home."

Anarial's eyes lit up, a huge smile came upon her face. "So there's a chance we can send him home, oh that's great news!" She felt like celebrating but her fellow guard wasn't as happy. "What's wrong?"

"Yes, there is a chance we can send him home but..."

"But what?"

"Our wizards are only so powerful, and I've never even heard of Hyrule before. Have you?"

She shook her head no.

"Exactly, so there's also a chance that we can't send him home."

This bit of news saddened her. She might now have known anything about Link, but that didn't mean she didn't want to help him return home. Her expression then changed to one of hope, this caused Valmir to look at her confused. "I think we both know what to do now."

"We do?"

She sighed. "Yes! I will go upstairs and explain the situation to him, in the meantime I want you to go visit the Arcane Sanctum and ask the mages if they can create a portal for Link."

Despite the fact that it was a solid plan there was still a problem... "Do I have to, I was kind of hoping to go to sleep?"

It was times like this that made her wonder how someone like Valmir was able to join the Elven Defenders. Sure he was a fine warrior, his archery skills were very impressive. On the other hand he was one of the laziest people in the world sometimes... and it wasn't like she was asking _that _much of him anyway. "Just go to the Arcane Sanctum and grab a mage, you can sleep after that I promise."

At this point it was better to just go and get this over with. "Fine, but you owe me one." He walked out of the inn and Anarial made her way upstairs.

Link was now wearing a brown tunic, tan pants and black boots. It wasn't his first choice but he would accept it, perhaps he could get something custom made later. His other two tunics were back in his tree house in Kokiri Forest, he was going to wash those at some point but it must have slipped his mind. He was now cursing his laziness.

Luckily for him all of his other items were still here with him, safely inside his pouch that was kept around his waist. The hero removed it from his old tunic and put it around his new one. He also grabbed his Giant's Wallet and Bomb Bag and secured them around his waist. Now he was back to thinking his situation over, and it seemed like he was stuck in this place. Valmir had told him about mages who could create portals, so maybe they could send him home. All he could really do was hope for the best.

It was then that the door opened and in stepped the female archer. She noticed how blue his eyes were, they really complemented his blond hair well. Anarial snapped out of her thoughts and cleared her throat. "You must be Link, it's nice to meet you. My name is Anarial, I was with Valmir when he rescued you." She held out her hand and Link hesitantly shook it.

"I'm guessing Valmir explained the situation to you?" He received a nod. "So... can you help me get home?"

"Maybe... Valmir is going to see our mages now, we're still a little unsure if they can create a portal to your home." She noticed his head hang down after hearing that. Anarial could tell that this was hard for him, she was even more determined to help him in any way she could. "Look we're going to try our best to get you home, in the meantime is there anything I can do for you?"

"Actually, do you think I could get a new set of clothes, I would prefer something more... comfortable."

She just giggled and then smiled. "Of course, I can bring you to our tailor. He can make you anything you want."

"Great, thank you."

The female Elf nodded and the two headed off to the tailor.

* * *

Valmir ran to the Arcane Sanctum, the faster he moved the quicker this would be over with. Luckily the buildings weren't too spread out across the village. It made it a lot easier to get from one place to another. The archer made it to the magical structure and proceeded up the carpeted stairs. The sanctum always seemed bigger on the inside than on the outside. Inside was where the Elves studied magic, whether it be light based or arcane based... it also contained a library which was free for anyone to use.

He ran past several apprentices and people who studied magic. The Elven warrior needed to find a wizard who had a lot of power. After running through the magical building he arrived at the back end of the sanctum, there were two hallways to go down. One led to where the priests and clerics studied and the other was for the mages and wizards. Valmir took the left down the arcane side of the sanctum.

Mariel was a master mage, his knowledge of the arcane was quite impressive. He wasn't as good as the mages of Dalaran but he was still powerful in his own right. He was pretty old but he was still a force to be reckoned with. Right now he was training a group of young wizards, helping them control and use their powers better. He had them study all they could about magic before actually practicing any. That way there would be no incidents. "Alright everyone, you can put the books down."

The class sighed as they grabbed their books and headed out of the room.

A few moments later Valmir walked into the room, making the master mage look up from his book. "Sorry for the interruption Mariel, but there's a matter I need to discuss with you."

"Of course, please, have a seat." Mariel was know as one of the kindest Elves in Quel'Thalas. He was also very wise beyond his years, which may have influenced his kindness. "Now then, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Last night I found a man in the woods, I brought him back here and asked him some questions. His name is Link and he claims to be from another world called Hyrule."

The elder wizard raised an eyebrow.

"Apparently he fought some kind of tornado and it sucked him up and brought him here."

"I see..."

"So is that even possible?"

Mariel stroked his beard and then took a sip of his tea. "Perhaps. There have been incidents of strange weather patterns creating portals to other worlds."

"Really?" The archer questioned. His knowledge of magic wasn't the best.

"Of course, Azeroth is a strange and magical place. Several of our tomes and other books can tell you that."

Valmir looked around the room at all the books, he thought it would be impossible to read all of those books. Especially since reading was boring to him. "Does that mean you can send him home?"

The mage frowned, and shook his head. "I'm afraid I can not."

That wasn't the answer Valmir was hoping for. "Why not, surely creating a portal isn't that difficult."

"For someone like me it isn't, but, I have never even heard of Hyrule before. To create a portal to a world I've never heard of, would be impossible."

Valmir frowned. "I understand, and hopefully Link will understand as well." He stood up and prepared to leave. "Thank you Mariel."

"Any time, oh and if this Link fellow ever wants to study the ways of the arcane tell him to stop by anytime."

The Elven archer nodded before walking out of the room. As he was leaving he thought about how he was going to break the news to Link. It wasn't going to be easy but the news needed to be shared, no matter how bad it was.

* * *

Link and Anarial had left the inn and headed for the tailor, but not before Link took in his surroundings. To say Quel'Thalas was beautiful was an understatement. The nearby forests were lush and the leaves on the trees came in several different colors. Almost every building was made out of some sort of marble and lined with blue and gold, making them all look very elegant. There were some more simplistic buildings, although even those were still had a smidge of elegance. There were even certain buildings that would rotate by themselves. This was truly a magical place.

Along the way Anarial couldn't help but giggle. "I see you like our little village." She pointed out.

"I've never seen anything like this before, none of the buildings where I'm from are able to rotate or defy gravity." His observation made the female Elf laugh once more.

"Yeah this place is pretty great, but it's nothing compared to our capital, Silvermoon City." She noticed him turn his head towards her as they continued walking. "I've never been there myself, but I hear it's beautiful, much more so than any other town or city in Quel'Thalas." Anarial had a tear in her eye as she thought fondly about her home. She had always dreamed of going to Silvermoon, but unfortunately she had her guard duties in Foreithel to keep her busy. The recent times were peaceful but she couldn't just up and leave her post.

The Hylian once again looked towards her, a look of sadness on her face. "Are you alright?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and cocked her head to the side. "I'm fine." Nothing else was said after that and the two kept up their pace. After a couple of more minutes passed they reached the tailor, the two walked in.

A tall Elven man was standing behind the counter. He smiled and waved at them and they returned the gesture. "Hello and welcome to my store, can I help you with something?"

"Yes, I was hoping to get some new clothes." Link stated.

"Of course, you can browse my selection and if you don't find anything you like I can have something custom made for you."

Link nodded and then proceeded to walk around the store, keeping an eye out for something that could work for his new clothes. There was a big selection of clothing, yet nothing was really standing out to him. None of the clothes said legendary hero or adventurer, it was disappointing to say the least. It was... until something caught his eye. He stared at it for a few moments, envisioning himself wearing it. The outfit was perfect. He grabbed it and headed back towards the counter.

He showed it to the two elves. "Ah good choice, that'll be five gold."

The hero didn't have any gold, and it was pretty obvious from looking at his face. He then had an idea. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a red rupee. "Do you take rupees?" He asked hopefully.

"...N-no..."

Link frowned. If he couldn't pay with rupees then he couldn't get the clothes he needed, well, he didn't _really _need them he just wanted them.

"Here I can get this one." Anarial reached into her pocket and pulled out the five golden coins. She handed them to the tailor.

"Thank you." He smiled.

Once the payment had been received she was given the clothes. Anarial then handed the clothes to her friend.

Upon receiving the clothes he held them high above his head. 'You got new clothes, payed for by your friend. Be sure to try them on at some point.'

Triumphant music started playing out of nowhere, and the two Elves turned towards the Hylian confused. "What are you doing?" The female Elf asked.

Link snapped out of his moment and grinned sheepishly, all the while bringing his hands down.

"Well... thank you for stopping by." The vendor said as the two others exited his store.

They walked for a bit before stopping. "Why don't you head back up to your room to change into your new clothes, I'll stay here and wait for you to come back."

He nodded as he took off for the inn.

As Link left she saw Valmir walking towards her. "Valmir it's good to see you, where you able to speak to one of the mages."

Valmir caught up to his friend and took a few breathes, he was doing a lot more running than he thought. "Likewise, and yes, I spoke to Mariel."

She smiled. Everyone knew how powerful Mariel was, and having him was a great help. "That's great, so what did he say."

There was a pause before he spoke. "He said it would be impossible to send him home."

Anarial didn't respond right away, she was letting it sink in. "I see... so do you want to break the news to him, or should I do it?" The female Elf asked as her partner yawned.

"You do it, I'm going to head to bed. Come wake me when our shift starts." He tiredly made his way over to his house.

She sighed before heading off to the inn, something told her it wasn't going to be easy telling Link the news. At the same time though it was something that needed to be said. _'Well, here goes nothing.'_

* * *

There you have it, sorry for the long wait for an update. I was experiencing a little bit of writers block and also lacked some of my drive to write this story, but I recently found inspiration and came up with this chapter. I'm not sure when the next update for this story will be but I won't totally abandon this fic. That's all for now so be sure to R and R and have a great day!

FutureShock


	3. Settling In

Chapter Three: Settling In

Link stood in his room and was just now putting the last pieces of his new outfit on. To his delight it fit very well and was quite comfortable. With his new clothing on he walked to the mirror, inspecting his new look. He was now wearing brown boots and white pants. His upper body consisted of a long sleeved white shirt, a short sleeved green tunic and his signature Golden Gauntlets. Secured to his waist was his old belt, which held his inventory pouch with all of his items. He then attached his wallet and his Bomb Bag to his belt. He once again had a cap, and it was just like his old one. His new outfit was essentially the same thing as his old one(if it isn't broke, don't fix it), except this one wasn't torn up. It was a little surprising to him that he was able to find a replica of his old clothes, but he wasn't about to question a good thing.

"Well don't you look handsome."

He cocked his head to the side and noticed Anarial standing in the doorway. His face turned slightly red at the compliment.

"I have to admit, green suits you well."

"I guess when you grow up around a lot of green it rubs off on you." The two shared a small laugh before the Hero of Time tensed up. "So... did you talk to the mage?"

Now it was her turn to tense up. A sigh escaped her mouth as she diverted her attention to the floor. "I'm sorry Link, but our mages can't send you back. They said it would be impossible seeing as they haven't heard of Hyrule before." She looked up and noticed the forlorn expression upon his face. The female archer could only imagine how hard it was for him, so she made a mental promise to do whatever she could for him.

"I guess it could be worse." He was trying to make light of the situation but it was harder than he thought. Link was probably never going to see his home or any of his friends again... then again, he didn't really have that many friends. Sure there was Malon and Saria, and Talon, and also Anju... and Zelda, but that was about it. So maybe this wasn't _that bad_, but Hyrule was still his home and he was still going to miss it.

Anarial couldn't think of what else to say, she wanted to say something comforting but she thought that would be kind of awkward. She barely knew Link and wasn't sure what she could say. While deep in thought a yawn escaped the archer's mouth, Anarial hadn't slept in a while and was now realizing how tired she was. "Hey I'm heading off to get some sleep, so if you need anything don't be shy."

"Alright... thanks."

With one last uneasy glance the Elven archer walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Link sighed heavily before lying down in his bed, sprawling out while looking up at the ceiling. Despite his mixed feelings about home this wasn't going to be easy for him to deal with. He was now going to have to live in a whole new world, and although it seemed similar to Hyrule there were some differences. Which wasn't really that surprising to him. As he laid back his eyes started to slowly close and soon enough he drifted off into a deep sleep. For the next couple of hours he slept rather peacefully, a nice feeling considering what had happened to him. The bed he was sleeping on also helped give him a nice rest. His bed back home wasn't nearly as soft as this one, nor did he have a blanket or pillow to use.

His eyes slowly opened and the Hero of Time sat up and yawned, stretching his arms as he did so. After a little more stretching he reached into his pocket and fished out his ocarina. He stared at it solemnly for a few moments, having all sorts of memories flash through his mind. The Hylian closed his eyes as he placed the mouth piece into his mouth. Link then began to play the instrument, choosing to play a familiar melody; Zelda's Lullaby. The hero's body swayed lightly from side to side as the notes were produced, this wasn't uncommon. Whenever he played a song on his ocarina he would often get lost in the moment, totally immersing himself within the music.

At first the melody was soft and quiet, but soon the song could be heard throughout the entire inn. By now every Elf inside had heard the strange yet soothing song coming from the upstairs. They all decided to just listen to the melody being played, since it was rare for anyone to play any sort of music inside the inn. So the High Elves took this opportunity to enjoy it. Not surprisingly some people found that the melody made them sleepy. What none of them knew was that they were listening to an actual lullaby.

Link continued to play his instrument, unaware that the notes could be heard by others.

Eventually several elves ventured upstairs to find out who was making the music, to their surprise the one playing the music was someone they didn't recognize. The man looked Elven but also appeared to be human at the same time, it was quite peculiar but they decided to push those thoughts away.

After a few moments he stopped playing, and his eyes slowly opened. As soon as they did his face went blank due to the people staring at him. They weren't angry stares but happy ones, albeit slightly creepy. "Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be able to hear me play." He stated sheepishly.

"Please don't stop, that was beautiful." A female Elf said.

"You... liked it?" Rarely did he play songs for others, and not many had ever shown much appreciation for it. So it was actually a nice surprise to find an audience wanting more.

"I've personally never heard anything like that before, you have a real talent." The innkeeper praised.

The Hylian scratched the back of his head nervously. Just then his stomach rumbled, he clutched it making the male High Elf laugh.

"Tell you what, if you play another song I'll give you some food on the house."

A smile came onto Link's face and he only nodded in response. He then followed his audience downstairs to the main lobby of the inn, where he noticed a bunch of people sitting at the tables. They were either eating, drinking, or just taking time to relax. He wasn't sure why but as he stood there everyone slowly began to look towards him. Obviously he had never seen these people before, and vice-versa, but it was as if he was some kind of oddity.

"Attention everyone, this man here is responsible for the music you heard." He motioned over to the Hylian and everyone started cheering. "And he is going to be playing another song for all of us." Once again they cheered.

Link was starting to feel slightly nervous, he had never been asked to play his ocarina in front of a crowd before. Looking at everyone as they stared at him wasn't helping either. With a deep sigh he put the ocarina to his mouth and closed his eyes, mentally picking which song he was going to play. With his choice made he started to blow air into the ocarina.

The last song was a soothing lullaby, so nobody expected the next one to be so upbeat. It started off a little slow but quickly picked up. Many people had the sudden urge to stand up and start dancing, which in turn got others to do so as well. There were a few who chose to remain seated while simply tapping their hands on the table along with the rhythm. Soon the whole place was coming alive with music and joy. His music was so infectious that elves from outside the inn had to see what for themselves what was going on. Pretty soon the entire inn was full of people, all of them enjoying the melody being played by strange man in green. Their happiness turned to sorrow however when he stopped playing.

Link pulled the instrument away from his lips and looked at the huge crowd of Elves, who were now cheering loudly for the musician. He slowly waved to the people as he put his ocarina back into his bag. As he was about to walk away the innkeeper came up to him.

"Say, what's your name?"

"Link." He answered.

"Well Link I just want to thank you for playing those songs, it really helped to liven things up around here." The innkeeper smiled as he headed back behind the counter and grabbed a plate, he then went into the back room. Moments later he came back with a plate full of meat, cheese, and bread. "As I promised." He handed Link the plate and the hero nodded in thanks.

A single whiff was all the Hylian needed to know that his food was going to be delicious, and the first bite confirmed it. Being a hero and traveling the world meant that he rarely had a good home cooked meal, so it was nice to be able to sit down and enjoy one. As he was eating the innkeeper looked at him curiously.

"You're not from around here are you Link?"

Link paused before setting his fork down, he then looked up at the Elven man. "No." He resumed eating his meal.

"I see... so where are you from?"

His question once again made the Hylian pause, but this time he remained silent. His eyes continued to stare at his plate, not wanting to look the kind man in the eye. The truth was he didn't really want to answer, if only because the answer wasn't so simple. "I'm from... another world." He finally answered.

"Really? So how did you get here then?"

"I don't really want to get into it."

The innkeeper nodded before attending to some other patrons.

Time went by quickly as the legendary hero sat inside the inn. Although he ate his food he mostly remained silent, not bothering to speak to anyone. The depressing thought of never returning home returned, and was much heavier than before. Having played Zelda's Lullaby earlier didn't really help much either.

Wanting to clear his head he decided to leave the inn, hoping the fresh air would help in some way. Before he left Link remembered his sword and shield were still up in his room, and there was no way he would leave those behind. It wasn't that he didn't trust the people of the inn he just wanted to keep them close. With his weapons safely fastened onto his back he was ready to depart.

Once outside the Hylian could feel the cool air brush against his face, it was a nice sensation. Looking around he noticed a bunch of people outside, each of them attending to their business while having smiles upon their faces. This in turn made Link slightly smile, the village was quite peaceful from what he's seen so far. He certainly could get used to living there.

Kids ran by as the Hero of Time began wandering around, taking note of all the buildings around. Although he couldn't read any of the signs he had a pretty good idea of what the buildings were. _'I guess at some point I should learn their language.' _He thought to himself while still being amazed by the structures around him. Some of them were pretty simple in design but others were a bit more complex. It was a little strange seeing a simple cottage next to a giant spire, but also kind of neat at the same time. While lost in thought he bumped into someone.

A woman had been walking by, carrying a basket of flowers. Upon bumping into the man she dropped her basket, and her flowers spilled onto the ground. The girl rubbed her head as she stood up. "Sorry about that."

Link stood up and caught sight of the woman she bumped into, which left him speechless. She had long brown hair, and was wearing a white and green dress. Her eyes were the same glowing blue as the other Elves. He stared at her for a few moments before shaking his head. "No worries, I was the one not paying attention." The two shared a small laugh.

"I'm Coria, what's your name?"

There was something about her smile that was so... captivating and friendly. "Link." They shook hands. "Here let me help you." He bent down to pick up the flowers that were on the ground, he then put them back into the basket.

"So are you the stranger that was found in the woods yesterday?" She received a confused look, and she could instantly tell what it meant. "Foreithel is a small village, so news travels pretty quickly around here." Coria explained.

"Yes, I am." Link replied softly.

Coria then noticed the sword and shield upon his back. "Are you joining the Elven Defenders?"

The hero raised an eyebrow.

"They're the ones who protect our village and most other villages in Quel'Thalas."

"I've never heard of them before." Part of him wanted to kick himself for giving out an obvious answer.

"Sorry I just assumed you were because of the weapons you're carrying." The female Elf pointed out. She then cleared her throat. "I should be returning home, it was nice to meet you Link." She waved goodbye and walked off.

Link waved goodbye before thinking about what she said. Perhaps he should investigate the Elven Defenders a little, with his combat experience he could make a good defender. A smirk came onto his face as he mentally decided he would try and see if he could become one. He looked around and tried to see if he could find a guard, and luckily he was able to find one walking around. The Hylian walked over to them.

"Hello citizen, how can I help you?" It was a female guard wearing heavy silver and blue armor, with a little bit of gold here and there. At her side was a long sword, held safely within a silver sheath. On her back was a huge blue shield with a golden lining. The design was a giant golden phoenix, and it was right in the center of the shield. Despite her intimidating presence she seemed friendly.

"I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of the Elven Defenders."

"So you want to be a Defender?" She received a nod. "Well you certainly have the look, but of course you will need more than that to make the cut."

The smirk was still present on his face. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

She smiled at his eagerness. "You've got spunk, I like that. You can speak to our captain inside of the barracks," She pointed to what looked like a temple with three prominent points at the top and sides. "He's the one who will decide if you have what it takes."

"Thank you." He bowed and she returned it. With new found determination the Hylian ran towards the barracks, hoping his meeting with the captain would be an eventful one.

* * *

Within the remnants of the former lands known as Lordaeron, the humans were now fighting for survival against the vast armies of the scourge. The loss of their king was a severe blow to their spirits, and was only the first of many devastating events.

Arising from the ashes was the former prince; Arthas, a once proud Paladin of Lordaeron. Arthas slowly made his descent into madness and rage once he learned about the plague, and that drove him to slay the Undead at all cost. Upon traveling to the frozen shores of Northrend he learned about a powerful sword. He fought through the scourge and eventually found it, disregarding the warnings of his friend he took the cursed blade and slayed the Dreadlord responsible for his people's suffering.

Once he returned home he slayed his father and that completed his journey into darkness. He was reborn as a Death Knight and now served the Lich King. Tichondrius(another Dreadlord), informed him about the blade known as Frostmourne, and how it imprisoned his soul within it... although Arthas didn't care. The Dreadlord then told him to rally the acolytes that had been hiding within the local populace... and to also slay any resistance that tries to stop him.

For the humans, it was yet another low blow to find their prince serving the forces of evil. Traitor, bastard, monster, those were the words some chose to call him. Again, Arthas didn't care though, he kept on slaughtering the pitiful humans with the help of his Undead forces. Blood stained the ground, buildings were engulfed in flames and the humans screams pierced the air.

By the end only a handful of humans survived and Arthas had gathered up the cult members. The fallen prince didn't see what the point was but soon learned that they would be useful for gathering the remains of their former master; Kel'Thuzad. Now with acolytes accompanying him on his journey he set out to find the remains of the necromancer.

* * *

There it is, sorry that it was kind of short but I promise the chapters will get longer(especially once the Undead reaches Quel'Thalas). I also wanted to set up a few things and not try and rush into the scourge invasion, which is why Arthas isn't right outside the elves doorstep right now. I'm also sorry if this chapter feels rushed. I do have plans involving Link trying to join the Elven Defenders but I didn't want to jump right into it, so I see this chapter as an 'in between' one... if you catch my drift. (Also can you guess what the second song Link played was?) Stay tuned for more and be sure to R and R!

Also I went back and changed Link's outfit to resemble his old one, instead of having a hood. At first I wanted to switch up the look but now I realize that I want to keep the signature look.

FutureShock


	4. Tricks of the Trade

Chapter Four: Tricks of the Trade

"Alright listen up, I'm only going to say this once. My name is Sautar and I am captain of this squadron."

Standing in a big room were dozens upon dozens of new recruits, each of them here because they want to join Elven Defenders. There were some who already had some experience in combat. Most of them had no kind of experience what so ever. Despite differences in skill level they all were ready to learn how to protect themselves, and more importantly their homeland.

Speaking to the mass of elves gathered before him was Captain Sautar. He was an older Elf, aged by combat experience. His presence was both commanding and warming at the same time. Yet he was also very serious, and not the kind of person one would want to disappoint. His years of experience were what made him into the man he is today. "Now I see we have a big crowd of people here today, and I bet you all think you've got what it takes... well you're wrong! How many of you have actually wielded a weapon before?" He saw that a little less than half the Elves raised their hands. "Not that many, just as I thought. Well it looks like we've got our work cut out for us don't we?"

He took a brief pause, surveying the audience to see if anyone looked scared. To his surprise everyone stood still, all of them listening to his words. A small smile came to his face. "I'm impressed, never before have I seen such a fine bunch of recruits. You all look ready for the training ahead. Of course, looking ready isn't the same as actually being ready... but you'll all learn that soon enough."

* * *

Link wandered through the various hallways of the barracks, trying to find the captain. He figured that the captain would be someone who wore heavy armor. Although it was kind of hard to tell which person was the captain because almost everyone he passed by wore heavy armor. It was like trying to find a needle in a hay stack. This made him wonder how people told each other apart.

After a good amount of mindless searching and walking in circles he decided to ask someone. He approached a male guard, clad in a full body suit of steal. "Excuse me, I'm looking for the captain."

Hearing the question made the guard laugh for a few seconds. "Oh man, always funny talking to new recruits." The Elf kept on chuckling, annoying the man in front of him. "Sorry I just can't help myself. You'll find Captain Sautar in the west wing, that's where the new recruits get trained."

Link bowed to the soldier and headed towards the west wing of the barracks. If it weren't for the signs on the ceiling he probably would have gotten lost, the entire place looked pretty much the same. All the hallways, corridors, random rooms, they were all alike. And the only reason the signs helped was because the words were in both the Elvish language, and another which he could actually read. Minutes later and the Hylian finally arrived at his destination. From the outside he could hear someone speaking, no doubt it was the captain. The talking continued for a few more moments before it stopped, and then a bunch of footsteps were heard. With a brief sigh he opened the door and all he could see was every high elf in the room marching towards an exit.

The captain remained standing on the stage, watching his new recruits leave the building. His eyes then drifted over to the stranger in green walking up to him. "Looks like someone overslept. All new recruits were supposed to arrive here half an hour ago, it doesn't look good being tardy on your first day."

"Sorry, but this is my first day in Quel'Thalas. And I just learned about the Elven Defenders today." The Hero of Time explained.

It took a second for the Elven man to realize who he was speaking to. "Wait, you're the man they found unconscious in the forest?"

He nodded.

"Well I'll be. I just thought those rumors were fake, a person would have to be crazy to wander around the woods alone at night." Sautar said with a smirk.

"Believe me, it wasn't my plan to wind up in your forest."

_'What does he mean by that, there's no way someone could just end up in a random forest... unless they're dumb, but this guy doesn't look that stupid.' _The Elven warrior thought to himself. "So what brings you all the way here?"

"I wish to join the Elven Defenders."

Hearing that made the soldier smirk once again. "So you think you have what it takes to join our ranks?" Once again he received a nod. "I'll give you this you do have some confidence, but that only gets you so far." Sautar stated.

"All I'm asking for is a chance, in time you'll see what a great warrior I am."

Sautar was impressed by the display. This man was confident yet humble at the same time, and there was just something about him that the High Elf liked. "You've got spunk, I like that. Alright I'll let you join in our training... but you'd better be prepared, we Elves are some of the fiercest warriors in all of Azeroth."

"Thank you." The stranger bowed. "I'm Link by the way." Link held out his hand.

"Captain Sautar." The two gripped each others hands and shook firmly. "Now then... GET TO THE TRAINING GROUNDS NOW!" He barked, making the man gulp before running towards said grounds. As soon as he was gone the captain smirked. "I love my job."

* * *

Directly outside of the barracks were the training grounds. A designated area for the various soldiers to train and practice wielding their weapons. Set up were multiple archery targets for long ranged combat, and wooden dummies to practice close quarters fighting.

Gathered around the area were all of the students, most of them ready to actually start practicing with a real weapon. There were a few people, although confident at first, who were feeling a little intimidated. It was one thing to pretend or thinking about holding a sword, but to actually hold one?

All of the collective thoughts were quickly dismissed once the Elven captain set foot onto the grounds. "All right, now that everyone's here we can get started." He glanced at all of the high elves before pulling out his sheathed sword. "Now I'm sure you're all familiar with the weapon I'm holding."

They all nodded.

"Good, then I'm also sure you know how important a sword is to a warrior. In combat this blade is going to be your best friend, it will not only slay your enemies, it will also save your life. Now for training purposes you will each be given a wooden sword to practice with."

Sautar proceeded to walk over to a pretty big crate, he opened it and reached into said box. With the wooden box were dozens upon dozens of practice swords. He then went around and handed each student a practice blade.

As he walked around he noticed the sword Link was carrying, leaving him surprised that he didn't notice it before. "Well it seems someone here came prepared, but you'll have to stick to this training weapon before you can use your actually weapon." He told the man plainly.

With everyone equipped the captain was ready to instruct. "Now that we're all ready, it's time to begin."

"CAPTAIN!" That cry came from the audience, and seconds later a younger man came running up to the front. "It's really bad sir."

"What is it?!" Suatar asked in panic.

The recruit showed his hand to the instructor, and revealed he had received a splinter from holding the sword given to him. "I got splinter and it really hurts."

The Elven soldier glared at the student, feeling a variety of emotions pertaining to rage and anger. "Did you all hear that, this _poor man _received a splinter... a splinter!" He laughed lightly before grabbing the man in front of him by his shirt. "Let me explain something to you son, when you're in combat a splinter is the least of your concerns. I've seen people lose their limbs and die! If you're taken out by a measly splinter than I don't think you're cut out for this."

"B-but s-sir..."

"NO BUTS, NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Sautar barked, causing the Elf to run away in panic. "Anyone else want to leave, because now is the time?"

Everyone shook their heads no.

"Good, so lets continue." He walked over to one of the dummies. "One of the most important things to remember is that the sword is basically an extension of you yourself. Your movements and the swords' movements must be one and the same."

Captain Sautar demonstrated by taking out his sword and assaulting the target in front of him. The crowd watched with awe at each strike and slash, it was quite an impressive display. Beads of sweat dropped from the soldier's forehead as he continuously attacked the dummy. He finished his attack by stabbing the target in the chest.

"That's what I want to see from all of you, determination, confidence, and skill. Now I want you all to start practicing, I'll be going around and giving you pointers," He noticed they were all still staring blankly at him. "Well... get moving!"

"Yes sir!" They collectively shouted as each of them made their way over to an available practice dummy.

Without saying a word they all went at it, gripping their weapons tightly and carefully. For some it was easy to swing and move the sword. Others seemed to struggle keeping their grip after a swing or a hit. Either way the group kept on hitting the targets, not wanting to disappoint their captain.

As they practiced the High Elven captain did as he promised, and thus far he had seen mixed results. "You there!" He shouted, making a male Elf stop and turn towards him. "Why do you hold the weapon so flimsily?"

"Forgive me sir, but it's hard maintaining my grip when I swing." He answered truthfully and sheepishly.

"Hm, perhaps you need to change your hand positions. Allow me to demonstrate." Sautar un-sheathed his sword and placed his hands over the handle. With one being on top of the other. "If you place one hand on top of the other one you can keep a firmer grasp on the sword, and thus allow for better strikes." He struck the wooden dummy several times, and each blow was both fluid and successful. "Now you try."

The recruit tried the new method, and then took a deep breath. He raised his sword over his shoulder and slashed the dummy vertically. To his surprise he kept his grip on the sword. "I did it!" He cheered happily.

Sautar nodded. "There you go, now keep on practicing that."

The captain resumed his cycle, studying each student carefully looking for any signs of mistake. To his surprise a good amount of the recruits were actually doing it. Their attacks and movements weren't too bad, a little rough still, but a good start. A small smirk came to his face as he strolled through the grounds. _'That's it, I didn't think they would get the hang of it that quickly.'_

Of course, with a good amount of success there's bound to be some failures, and there were quite a few of those. Stiff movement, bad grips on the handles, nerves, were among the problems Sautar noticed.

He ceased walking behind a male soldier, and he seemed to fit into all of the previous categories. The Elven captain shook his head in disappointment. "Having trouble are we?" His presence startled him and made him drop the practice sword.

"Oh captain, I didn't hear you approach sir," He hastily picked up his wooden weapon. "And I wasn't having any trouble." He answered with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Don't lie to me cadet, I saw you practicing, although I would use the term failing." As much as he didn't like being so cold it was required, Sautar needed to be a little harsh as to properly motivate his troops. "Your form is lousy, you have a flimsy grip..."

"I can do it!" He snapped, continuing his futile assault on his motionless opponent.

Sautar sighed and grabbed the sword from his hands. "Listen, I'm going to say this bluntly... you might not be cut out for this." His statement made the warrior gasp. "Sorry, but there are those who aren't meant to be swordsmen."

The male High Elf clenched his fists in rage. "I know I can do it!" He yelled in protest.

"ENOUGH!" His voice boomed across the grounds, making everyone stop. "I have evaluated you and you failed, and no amount of begging will make me change my mind. Now get out of my sight!" He yelled, making the Elven cadet grumble before he walked away in anger.

Captain Sautar then noticed everyone staring at him. "Did I tell you to stop?!"

They immediately went back to their training exercise.

_'Hm, I'll have to be extra tough on these recruits, it's the only way they'll learn._' Suddenly Sautar stopped in his tracks, his eyes drifting over to a certain student clad in green. Upon seeing him his jaw nearly dropped. Said student was wielding his training sword with such expertise, almost like he had already been properly trained. Each motion was just as fluid as the previous, and he was landing some pretty damaging blows. If that were the real deal then the enemy wouldn't stand a chance.

Other soldiers stopped and looked on in awe, most of them having never seen such a display before... at least not from a fellow new recruit.

After a few more swings the Hero of Time stopped, only to hear clapping and cheering behind him. He turned around and saw the High Elven captain clapping.

"In all my years I've never had a student as skilled as you are, I must say I'm impressed." Sautar admired.

"Thank you sir"

"I think you should all take a page from Link's book, it just might help you all get as good as he is."

Link rubbed the back of his head nervously as everyone else went back to practicing. Except now they had an even bigger drive than before. If the bar was going to be raised then they would have to work hard and meet the new standards.

* * *

Once that part of the training was over it was time for the next part... one on one duels. The Elven students were gathered next to the arena. Captain Sautar was standing in the center of said arena. "All right, now that you all have had some practice with the sword you're going to start fighting each other." He could tell they were all nervous, he could even hear a few of them gulp. "Don't worry we'll still be using the training swords, but instead of just offense you will have to work on defense as well."

A few murmurs and whispers echoed through the crowd. They were all still a little unsure about this new exercise.

"And since Link here did so well I feel like he should start us off."

Link stood up and walked over towards the captain and readied his sword.

"Now then, who wants to be his opponent?"

There was a pause, no one really wanted to go up against the Hylian. They all saw how he dominated his practice opponent. And there was no telling how badly a real opponent would lose. Eventually a female Elf raised her hand and stood up, she then slowly made her way over to the arena.

"Excellent, now ready your weapons."

The two of them gripped their weapons tightly, at the same time staring each other down.

Sautar exited the arena and prepared to start the fight. "Ready. Set. GO!"

Without warning the female High Elf ran towards her opponent, her sword high above her head. She brought it down but Link was able to roll out of the way. As he was dodged he also smacked her leg with his sword, making her drop to one knee and also grunt in pain.

She had little time to block an oncoming thrust that was aimed for her chest. She then tried to kick the Hylian in his stomach, but he back flipped just in time. Rage slowly started building up in the female warrior as she once again charged her foe. Her arms flailed wildly as she tried to strike her foe, but the warrior either blocked or dodged all of her clumsy attacks. One of her swipes was able to make contact with his arm, making him take a few steps back to recover.

"Now you're mine!" She thrust her blade forward hoping to stab his chest, but he brought his sword up just in time to parry the attack.

In one swift motion the Hero of Time swatted her sword away and swung his blade upwards and diagonally. The wooden sword struck her cheek and knocked her to the ground, it also left a pretty nasty mark on her face. Before she could grab her sword he put his boot on top of her hand, trapping it on the ground. He saw her look up and notice the blade pointing straight at her face, signaling that the battle was over.

Captain Sautar slowly clapped his hands together as Link helped the female recruit to her feet. "Well done Link, you have both great reflexes and great timing."

Link bowed before walking back over to the other recruits.

Sautar then turned towards the High Elf. "You need to work on your anger, if you lose control of your emotions you could end up losing the fight."

She nodded. "Yes sir." And then she rejoined the crowd.

"Alright, the next round will commence, who wants to go at it?"

* * *

About an hour had passed since the second part of training, and there were a lot of Elves who were glad about that. Most people quickly learned that fighting a real person was much different than a motionless dummy. Of course since a lot of the recruits had little to no experience the duels weren't that bad, but it was still a frightening experience.

Now the captain and all of his students were gathered around the archery range. "So far I'm impressed, most of you have some decent skill. And with the proper training you can become great swordsman. Unfortunately there are some of you who aren't as gifted with the blade. Luckily for those people they still have a chance to make it in the Elven Defenders."

A small cheer rang throughout the crowd.

"Alright, now let me demonstrate how to use a bow." Sautar walked over and picked a bow up from the nearby rack, he then grabbed an arrow from the barrel right next to the rack. "First place the arrow so the tip is right up against the bow itself. Next you pull the arrow back, allowing the tip to rest on the handle. Then you just aim and once you have your shot you just release." The Elven warrior demonstrated and his arrow struck close to the center of the target.

Every recruit either clapped or cheered.

The cheering slowly died down at the dismissive wave of the captain's hand. "Since there aren't that many targets you'll all have to take turns. So once you take your shot let the person behind you take theirs, understand?" He received nods from everyone. "Good, now line up in front of a target while I pass out bows."

The students did as instructed and eight lines were formed, with several people within each line. And once the captain passed out all eight bows the Elves were ready to begin. Eight different Elves readied their bows, and had their sights aimed straight at the bulls-eye at the center of the wooden target.

"Ready. Aim... fire!"

A volley of arrows shot forth from the bows, each of them flying at a high speed. Despite eight shots being fired only four of the projectiles actually hit their mark, the others went clear past the targets. One arrow only traveled a few feet before plummeting towards the ground. The ones that did hit the target didn't get that close to the center, mostly hitting close to the outside. And as soon as their shot was over the Elf who fired the bow passed it along to the next person in line.

This process repeated over and over again, and as expected the results were mixed. Some hit the target, some completely missed, a few managed to hit close to the center. No one had yet to hit a bulls-eye.

Link eventually got his turn, and he was confident about how well he would do. In his most previous adventure he had used a bow many times, and had proven himself to be a decent shot. The Hero of Time took aim and released his arrow. His projectile whizzed through the air and hit the center of the target.

Everyone around him gasped, even the captain. "He hit the center on his first try."

"A master swordsman and an expert shot, what's next?"

Chatter broke out among the students, and it continued for a few moments before the Elven captain silenced them. "Enough! Let's see if he can do it again."

The Hylian hero smirked before shooting yet another bulls-eye. He repeated the shot a couple of times to show it wasn't just luck.

"Well I'm impressed, he uses a bow as well as a sword. Not many people are that gifted."

Link bowed once again. "Thank you captain, but it's nothing really."

Sautar chuckled. "And he's humble too, how about that." The High Elf headed over to the Eylian. "You've got the makings of a fine recruit Link, you keep this up and you're a shoe in." He then turned towards the others. "The rest of you have potential as well, but you'll need more practice if you want to succeed."

"Yes sir!" The others shouted in unison as they got back in line to practice more archery.

_'They've got determination, I'll give them that. It might take a while, but I'll whip these recruits into shape, and then they'll be ready to defend our homeland.'_

* * *

So I originally planned to release this chapter at the same time as Cosmic Warrior, but this chapter wasn't quite finished yet. It was almost done and I thought about just rushing it out, but I decided against it. I would much rather take my time and make sure I like the chapter rather than just get something out and not be happy with it. I also made some changes and added some things in so it was a good thing I didn't upload it too early. Be sure to R and R and have a wonderful day!

FutureShock


	5. Moving Forward

Chapter Five: Moving Forward

Several days had passed and Link found his new life to be enjoyable. He had just finished another training session, and it was much like before. They would practice using the wooden swords on the dummies for a while before actually sparing. Then once all that was done they would move on to more archery. And while he was a natural the other students seemed to benefit more from the training.

To be honest Link didn't know why he was so gifted in combat, it wasn't like he practiced hard everyday. He recalled the first day he ever held a sword, back when he was a kid. The hero had to crawl through a small hole and avoid giant boulders just to get it. Once he held the Kokiri Sword in his hand it just felt so... right, almost like he already knew how to wield the small blade. That fact became even more clear as he traversed the Great Deku Tree, when he had to slay several monsters. And even though he had never used a weapon before the hylian was able to destroy every adversary that came his way. Maybe it was the Triforce of Courage that gave him his abilities, or maybe something else entirely... but what that something else was Link didn't know.

He snapped out of his thoughts as he reached his destination, the library. Now the library seemed like the last place one would expect such a great hero to visit, but this was important. If Link was going to be stuck here he might as well learn all he can about this world, more importantly the language. While he and the Elves understood each other there were still all the signs... and the fact that they would sometimes speak in an unfamiliar tongue. So the library seemed like the only logical place to go.

Link entered the building and made his way over to counter.

A female Elf was standing behind said counter and smiled as the man approached her. "Hello there how can I help you?" She asked, making Link glad she didn't speak Elvish.

"I need some books on language and culture please."

"Certainly, just head all the way down to the back of the store and then take a left." She explained.

The Hylian nodded and then walked over to the back left of the store. He navigated the corridors made of bookcases and various tables and chairs, all the while noticing just how many books there were. It would probably take someone a very long time to read them all, luckily for Link he wasn't trying to accomplish that. A small chuckle escaped his mouth as he reached the desired section of the library.

His eyes then scanned the various shelves, trying to find a book on language. It shouldn't have been a surprise that the books were written in the Elvish language. So in order to make things easier he decided to just pull the books off the shelves one at a time, and hopefully he would eventually find the right one. For a little while it was trial and error, but luckily he was able to find a book; 'Thalassian for beginners'. Link smiled as he walked over to a nearby table with the book in hand. First he would learn the language and then he would study culture.

He sat down and opened the book. "Alright, now let's get started."

* * *

Arthas and his ever growing undead legion had been traveling the now decaying lands of Lordaeron for what seemed like a week. After rescuing the acolytes he was now tasked with finding the remains of Kel'Thuzad; a former necromancer that served the scourge. It was kind of ironic that Arthas had killed him and now had to revive him. If he were his old human self he would have found it funny... but now as a Death Knight his sense of humor was gone. The only joy he found now was killing and causing destruction.

Getting back to the matter at hand the former prince finally reached Andorhal, the location of the dead necromancer. Upon arrival he was greeted by an unusual sight. "What the hell is that?" Arthas saw what looked like three catapults, except much more sinister.

A nearby acolyte spoke up. "This crude contraption will allow you to transport the remains of our master." He explained.

"Can you not simply raise the remains when we find them?"

"Pardon, lord, but a being of Kel'Thuzad's power can only be reanimated at a nexus of powerful ley-energies, and there are no such places in this land."

The Death Knight nodded. "Very well then, let's move out." He commanded as army continued their marching. The contraptions known as 'meat wagons' were being pushed by several acolytes.

After some more walking the undead army arrived at a small human encampment. There were a few guard towers, some farms, tents, a barracks and a roaring campfire. Several foot soldiers were keeping watch also. Most notably was the paladin who was standing at the middle of it all. He was there to protect the remains and it didn't seem like he was going to let anyone pass through. He gripped his hammer tightly as he kept watch.

Once in range the meat wagons were loaded up with giant stones, and aimed at the towers. Each wagon was aimed at each tower. All at once the stones were launched through the air, on a collision course with the guard structures. With a loud boom the stones crashed into the towers, hitting just the right spots in order to make them collapse. As the towers crumbled the ground troops moved into formation.

"The undead..." The Paladin known as Gavinrad the Dire muttered. "Defensive positions, do not let them through!" He ordered, shifting into battle mode.

The footmen charged forward at the oncoming undead, ready to ward off the invaders. One rushed Arthas and prepared to slay the betrayer.

The Death Knight saw him approach and merely thrust his sword forward, stabbing the poor man through the heart. Needless to say he did not survive.

Another soldier blocked the swipe of a ghoul, and managed to slice it in half. He had little time to celebrate his victory as he felt a sharp pain in his back. He turned his head and saw a ghoul, and it had no doubt clawed his back. Before he could even attempt to retaliate another ghoul bit his shield wielding arm. Slowly but surely he found himself being surrounded by the mindless undead, and there was nothing he could do to defend himself.

One footman was unlucky enough to get hit by a giant rock, having been launched by the scourge catapult.

While his minions fought off the pitiful human resistance Arthas set his sights on his former brother from the Silver Hand. This was by no means going to be a cheerful or friendly reunion. No, the Death Knight was on a quest, and if the foolish Paladin wanted to get in the way than he would receive no mercy. Plus it wasn't like he would have any qualms about killing the human.

Said Paladin readied himself for the battle, also aware that this was all business. He too saw no problems in striking down the former prince. All of the recent bloodshed and destruction more than warranted his demise. Despite all of that he would at least give the scourge bastard a warning. "Arthas! Stop this madness before it's too late!"

"Stand aside brother. I've come to collect some old bones, and I don't wish to be disturbed."

Gavinrad opened his tome and raised his hammer, casting the Holy Light spell onto the undead. His opponent grunted in pain as the light struck him. The Paladin charged forward and swung his mighty hammer at the fallen prince, but said prince was able to block it with his sword. He then quickly ducked, right underneath a horizontal sword slash. The Paladin looked up and saw the blade on a collision course with his head, which would easily cleave him in two. Gavinrad managed to block the strike in time with the handle of his hammer.

He then pushed the dark knight back. "I can't believe we ever called you brother! I knew it was a mistake to accept a spoiled prince into our order! You've made a mockery of the Silver Hand!" The Paladin brought his hammer down but it was knocked out of his hands by his opponent's blade. The next thing he knew he was stabbed in through his chest, making him cry out in pain. Seconds later he fell to the ground, with blood pouring out of his open wound.

Arthas merely scoffed at the Paladin's 'heroic' last stand. He stared at the corpse for a few moments before turning back towards his army. He noticed the pitiful resistance was dead, and that his ghouls were feasting on the flesh of their victims. The skeletons ripped off chunks of flesh and chomped upon them with their misshapen teeth... if one could call it teeth.

He didn't pay them any mind and continued on his journey. Moments later he reached the graveyard where the necromancer was buried. "Come along now, necromancer. The powers that you have once served have need of you again."

"Told you my death would mean little." Spoke the voice of the fallen necromancer.

"What the... am I hearing ghosts now?" The Death Knight questioned, hoping he wasn't going crazy. Of course, he had already gone a little mad, what with taking Frostmourne and hearing the Lich King speak to him... but now ghosts?

Moments later the ghost of Kel'Thuzad appeared. "It is I, Kel'Thuzad. I was right about you, Prince Arthas."

* * *

Hours had passed as the Hero of Time had his eyes glued to the book. The process of learning a new language wasn't easy by any means, but he was moving along at a nice pace. It helped that this book was simple to understand, with very clear meanings and translations. It was almost like a children's book or something. While he may have seen the words he didn't really know how to pronounce them, but it didn't really matter... so long as he didn't have to say any of these words and phrases he was learning.

A yawn escaped his mouth as he continued reading. He had been kind of worn out from the training earlier and now he was focusing his energy into learning a new language. Part of him wanted to keep on reading, but another part wanted to just collapse onto the table and get some rest. His eyes slowly started closing as he tried his best to stay awake, and soon enough his body slumped over the small table. His head rested nicely upon the book he was studying from.

The hero laid there for a long time, he wasn't exactly sure how long he had been out. He had only woken up when someone snatched the book out from underneath him, causing his head to slam into the table. Link slowly started to rouse from his slumber, and he quickly noticed a familiar face.

"I know reading can be boring, but you're only reading a children's book." It was Anarial.

"Anarial, what are you doing here?"

"I was just looking for a new book to read during the night shift." She explained. "And while I'm browsing I just happen to notice you snoozing."

Link just chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I was reading this book and I guess I just fell asleep."

Anarial held the book out in front of her before placing it onto the desk. "Trying to brush up on your Thalassian huh?"

"I figured if I'm going to be stuck here I might as well learn the language, although I haven't heard many people speak it." He said.

"Yeah, since we have a stranger among us we usually speak Common." The female Elf explained.

He stared at her blankly.

"It's the universal language used by all races, that way we can better communicate with Humans or Dwarves."

The Hylian didn't know what a Drawf or Human was, but he could understand the point of a universal language. "Oh, I see. That sounds easier than learning every single language." The duo shared a small laugh.

The female Elf then crossed her arms. "So I hear you joined the Elven Defenders," She received a nod. "well good, I'm glad to hear that. While these are peaceful times we could use all the help we can get. I just hope Captain Sautur isn't pushing you too hard, he has a tendency to over work the 'fresh meat'."

"No, in fact he says I'm his best student." He said, shocking Anarial.

"Wow, you must really be something. He doesn't usually say that about anyone." She praised.

Link just smirked in response.

"Alright, so how about a demonstration then?" Anarial asked with a smirk, making the hero nervous. "Come on star student, I want to see just how good you are."

"Fine," He relented before sighing. "I guess I'll have to finish this book later." He shut the book and was just about to place it back on the shelf, before he could the High Elf stopped him.

"You don't have to put the book back you know, you can just borrow it." She received a confused look. "Sweet Sylvanas you're clueless. Here follow me." She grabbed his arm and led him to the counter.

The Elf smiled upon his return. "Find everything you need?"

Link nodded.

"He'd like to borrow the book." Anarial explained.

"Of course, just let me see it." He handed her the book and she stamped the first page. "Now be sure to bring it back or else I'll have to charge you." She said with a smile.

"Thank you." The hero bowed before placing the book into his pouch. He and his companion then walked out of the library.

The two of them made their way over to the training grounds, having to take a bit of a long talk to get there. The library and the training grounds were pretty much located on the opposite sides of Foreithel. Luckily the town wasn't that big, so it wasn't _that _much of a walk. It was also a nice day outside, so they didn't have to worry about any extreme temperatures.

As they walked Link noticed someone running towards them, but it didn't look like he was interested in the duo themselves. It was a man with a bandanna around his face, and he wore dark clothing. The Hero of Time didn't think much of it until he heard someone shout in the distance. "Stop that thief!"

Both of them turned around as several guards ran past them. Anarial was about to give chase but stopped once Link pulled out a bow... from out of nowhere. "Hey where'd you get that?"

He didn't answer, instead he drew an arrow and readied his shot. Link stood there for a few moments as the tip of his arrow began to be engulfed by a blue light. A strange sound emitted from said arrow... almost like it was magic. Before his companion could question it the Hylian released his arrow, and it went zooming towards the Elven thief. Once it made contact it emitted yet another strange sound, and then it started encasing him in ice. Moments later the Elf was frozen solid.

Everyone present gawked at the sight. First the stranger pulls a bow and arrow out of nowhere, and then the arrow starts to glow and freezes the man in place! It took a while for the citizens to snap out of their shock.

The guards walked up to the green clad man. "Thank you for your help citizen, but how did you encase him in ice?"

"I used an ice arrow." He explained. "Don't worry, the effects will wear off shortly."

They both nodded before heading towards the frozen criminal.

Anarial turned and glared at Link. "Would you care to explain to me what that was, and also where you were hiding that bow?!" She crossed her arms, waiting for the answer.

Link chuckled. "I simply used magic, and as for the bow I keep it in this pouch." He pointed to the pouch attached to his belt.

"So you mean to tell me you can keep a _bow _in that tiny thing?!" She received both a nod, and a sly smile. "What else do you have in there?" The Elf asked, still skeptical of his claim.

"Let's see, my bow, Deku Sticks, Longshot, Megaton Hammer, Boomerang, Lens of Truth, Deku Nuts, 4 Bottles, Bombchus, Hover Boots, Iron Boots..." He stopped upon noticing her shocked face.

"You have ALL of that in there!?" She screamed.

The Hero of Time nodded before reaching into his inventory bag. He pulled out a big hammer and gripped it within his hands. A smirk came onto his face and he turned towards her, as if he was saying 'I told you so'.

Anarial stared wide eyed at him, still in disbelief about all of this. She heard of people hiding knives in their clothing, such as up their sleeves or under their pant legs... but having a bag that can carry a bow and a hammer?! The High Elf continued her thousand yard stare before shaking her head violently. "Let's just go to the training ground." She muttered.

* * *

The former prince was nearing completion on his latest task. After recovering the remains Tichondrius informed him that he would have to take them to Quel'Thalas, as the High Elves had the means to revive the necromancer. In order to make the journey they would first need to get an urn being held by the remaining paladins of the Silver Hand.

So the first thing Arthas did was establish a base camp, in order to build up his armies. After establishing said camp he was able to further supplement his army, creating even more skeletons and ghouls to serve him. And once he had a large enough force he set out on his journey. Just like before he encountered several ground forces and of course, Paladins. It didn't really make much of a difference though, all the human opposition was quickly disposed of. The footmen and knights were slain, and the Paladins brutally murdered.

There was only one paladin left, Arthas' former mentor and friend; Uther the Lightbringer. The Death Knight approached the Paladin without fear, this battle would be over soon.

Uther looked at his former pupil with both anger and sadness. It still hurt him how his friend had betrayed them. Personally the Paladin thought Arthas would have been a fine king some day, a suitable replacement for King Terenas... and then it all went to hell. Now the former prince was aligned with the very enemies they were trying to stop. "Your father ruled this land for seventy years, and you've ground it to dust in a matter of days."

"Very dramatic, Uther. Give me the urn, and I'll make sure you die quickly."

"The urn holds your father's ashes Arthas! What, were you hoping to piss on them one last time before you left his kingdom to rot?" He yelled.

The Death Knight chuckled. "I didn't know what it held. Nor does it matter. I'll take what I came for one way or another." Arthas told the Paladin plainly before firing a Death Coil at him.

Uther put up a Divine Shield, protecting him from the unholy attack. He then charged at the undead with his hammer gripped tightly in both hands. As soon as he was close enough he swung it full force, and he managed to knock the Death Knight off his stead. Once Arthas was on the ground the paladin brought his weapon down, only for it to be blocked by his foe's sword.

Arthas kicked Uther off of him and then got back to his feet. He thrust his blade at his downed opponent, but the Paladin was able to roll out of the way. The Paladin stood up and barely had enough time to block the slash aimed for his face. Both warriors then attacked the other with ferocity, their weapons clashing together. Eventually Uther gained the upper hand and was able to smack his former friend in the ribs, making him grunt in pain. He then cast Holy Light onto the undead, causing him great pain.

The Paladin kicked his foe in the stomach, sending him backwards a few feet. He ran towards his fallen foe, steeling his nerves. As much as he didn't want to he had to end it, there was no way he could let such a monster live... even if it was Arthas. Right as he was about to deliver the final blow he felt a sharp pain in his chest. His eyes drifted downwards and noticed he had been stabbed, the unholy blade had gone straight through his chest.

Arthas stood up and pulled the sword out, making Uther fall to his knees.

He stared up at the former prince, a pained look in his eyes. "I dearly hope that there's a special place in hell waiting for you, Arthas." Uther said, slowly losing life.

"We may never know, Uther. I intend to live forever." He told the dying man.

Uther then fell to the ground, the life within him was gone. One of the greatest Paladins was finally dead, slain by the man who once called him friend.

Once he was finally dead the Death Knight reached down, searching for the urn. He eventually found it, having been kept within Uther's bag. As soon as he picked up said urn he just stared at his former mentor, he continued staring until Tichondrius appeared.

"Excellent work. Now, your journey to Quel'Thalas can begin."

Also the ghost of Kel'Thuzad appeared, and he didn't want the Dreadlord to figure out what he and the Death Knight were doing. "Tell him nothing! Only you can hear me. The Dreadlords cannot be trusted. They are the Lich King's jailors! I will tell you all... when I walk this world again."

* * *

A gust of wind blew through the empty training grounds, picking up some dust as it traveled. No one was currently using the grounds, so the only noises were the sounds of nature. Other than that it was eerily silent. The quietness of the grounds was interrupted by Link and Anarial entering them. The two continued walking for a little bit before stopping.

The High Elf reached for the sword at her side and un-sheathed it. "While I am better with a bow I still know how to use a sword, so you'd better not underestimate me." She shot him a sly smirk.

Link reached for his sword which was strapped to his back. He slowly drew the Master Sword and gripped it within his left hand. He would have also grabbed his shield but that would have been unfair. His opponent didn't have a shield at all. And while in normal combat that wouldn't have been a factor this was a duel, he wasn't trying to kill her only spar with her. With that in mind he had to remind himself that they were using real swords and not wooden ones.

With a battle cry she charged forward, her sword at her side. She swung horizontally but her attack was blocked by the hero's blade. The Elf brought it back down forcefully but it was once again blocked. Anarial then thrust her sword forward, trying to skewer her foe. A gasp escaped her mouth as she watched her opponent back flip away, just avoiding the blow.

As soon as his feet touched the ground the Hylian ran at his foe. With a mighty leap he raised his sword over his head and brought it down, the metal of his blade clashing against Anarial's blade. The two became locked in a struggle, trying hard to push the other backwards. Eventually the Hero of Time found himself being kicked in the gut, making him fly back a few feet and land on the ground. He looked up in time to see her sword aimed for his head, so he quickly rolled out of harms way. Link looked back and noticed her sword was stuck in the ground, giving him an opportunity.

He sprinted towards her and rammed into her, knocking her to the ground... away from her weapon. She tried to reach for it but was too far away, and was helpless to defend herself. The female Elf glanced up and quickly saw the tip of his sword. She then noticed his hand extended to help her up. Anarial took his hand and stood up.

"I'm impressed, you are quite the swordsman." She gave him a sly smile.

"You're not so bad yourself." He praised.

The two stared at each other for a moment, looking into each others eyes. This continued for a few moments before they both turned away awkwardly. "So uh... you can also do magic?"

* * *

There we have it, I hope you enjoyed it. I really had fun writing this chapter, both parts of it. So Link is moving on with his new life and Arthas has recovered the urn from Uther. Things are heating up and we're getting closer to the invasion. Is there something building between Link and Anarial... well, you'll see. I also have someone else in mind who Link could end up with... but don't worry, any romance won't be a main focus, we're here for the action after all. Be sure to R and R and have a great day!

FutureShock


	6. Multi-Talented

Chapter Six: Multi-Talented

"You never did tell me where we were going." Link stated.

Anarial hadn't said anything to him after their little training session. All she did was smile brightly before running off. She did tell him to follow her, but that was about it. "Oh yeah sorry." She laughed sheepishly. "We're going to visit Mariel, he's a master mage."

The Hylian nodded as he continued to follow the archer. After a few seconds a question popped into his head. "Why are we visiting a mage... and what's a mage?"

A groan escaped the Elf's mouth. While she had taken a liking to Link she wasn't fond of his questions. Of course, she gave him the benefit of the doubt because he was from another world... but that didn't mean she couldn't be annoyed. "A mage is a magic user, someone really skilled at magic. Do you know what magic is?" She asked in a somewhat condescending tone.

"Yes I know what magic is." The Hero of Time deadpanned. "You don't have to talk to me like a child you know."

"Yeah sorry about that. I'm not used to dealing with people from other worlds."

Link could see her point, he too would probably get frustrated if the roles were reversed. So he merely gave her a nod and continued to follow her.

Eventually the two had made their way across town and arrived at the Arcane Sanctum. The Hylian stared wide eyed at the big structure, it was just as glorious as every other structure. He glanced over and noticed his companion was smirking at him. He shook his head and followed her up the stairs into the building.

Anarial led her clueless partner through the halls of the Arcane Sanctum, navigating her way through the various hallways. After a few minutes she reached back end of the sanctum, and taking the left path led her to Mariel.

The master mage was sitting in his chair reading a book, all the while sipping on some tea. He set his tea and book down upon receiving some visitors. "Hello there."

The female High Elf bowed. "It's an honor Mariel." She then elbowed her companion, signaling him to bow.

Link got her gesture and bowed as well.

A lighthearted laugh escaped the mage's mouth. "Come now, you don't have to bow to me. I'm no different than any other Elf." He then smiled warmly. "So how can I help you two?"

"My friend here has magical abilities and I figured I should bring him to you."

Mariel inspected the strange man, while his features were Elvish he was just as tall as a human. "I see, so you must be the man from another world."

The Hero of Time nodded.

"Interesting. So, you know the ways of the arcane?" He received a confused look. "Never mind, why don't you just show me what you can do."

"Sure, but we should probably head outside." The Hylian suggested, not wanting to cause any accidents to the building.

"Lead the way." The mage smiled.

With that the three of them navigated back through the sanctum, and after a few minutes they were once again outside. Link then led the two Elves to a nice open area, one where he could use his magic without doing any damage to the natural landscape. Once he found a suitable area he was ready. "Alright, just stay there." He then took walked forward several feet before stopping. His eyes closed as he took a deep breath. He brought his hands to his side. "Hut!" The hero then swung his left hand way over his head. "Hyah!" As soon as it touched the ground a huge dome of fire suddenly appeared, it stayed there for a few moments before expanding and then disappearing. While the fiery dome was gone the effects were still present. A good amount of the area had been set a blaze.

"Woah!" Anarial muttered.

"Hm, impressive." The mage noted as he waved his hand. An icy wind blew out of his palm and the fire was instantly put out.

Link repeated the same motion as before, except this time a blue ball of light appeared in his hands. This time though he got down on one knee and placed his hands out to each side of him. Right after doing that a blue swirling diamond appeared around him. "The fire dome you saw aws called Din's Fire, an offensive spell that can burn things and damage enemies. This one is called Nayru's Love, this spell protects me from harm, it takes more magic to use than Din's Fire." He explained.

The two Elves nodded in understanding.

_'I'm not even sure if this one will work, but it's worth a shot.' _Once again he repeated the two hand motion, but this time he spun his hands briefly before raising them to the sky. Not a moment later he was surrounded by two swirling green pillars of magic. From his hands a green ball appeared, and it stayed there for a few moments before flying off. The Hylian then relaxed his muscles. "That last one is Farore's Wind. It allowed me to set a warp point in any dungeon and I could return to that point at any time. To be honest I wasn't sure if it would work here, but I'm guessing it maybe created a warp point here in Foreithel."

"I see, is that the only magic you can do?" Mariel questioned.

"No, I also have three types of magical arrows. Oh, and my spin attack."

The male High Elf raised an eyebrow. "Magical arrows?"

Link nodded as he pulled out the Fairy Bow. He then drew an arrow, and not long after it became engulfed with fire. He scanned the area for something to shoot at and noticed a an actual target. Once he released the arrow it went soaring through the air, and upon hitting the target it burst into flames.

Mariel was beyond impressed. Not many archers could shoot magical arrows, it took a lot of skill to pull that off. Before he could put out the flame the stranger from another world had already fired off another arrow, this one was covered with blue magic. As the arrow hit the target it became encased with ice.

"This final arrow will be harder to fully demonstrate." He once again drew an arrow but this time the tip was bathed in a golden light. Upon touching the target it exploded in a burst of light. "That was a light arrow." He assumed the other two types were self-explanatory.

_'He's amazing, I've never seen anyone shoot magic arrows before.' _Anarial mused to herself.

"And lastly, the spin attack." He drew his sword and shield. His shield was directly in front of him while his sword was pointed out to the side. A few moments later the sword became bathed in a blue glow, encompassing the entire length of his sword. The blue light then changed to a light red, and the size of the glow increased. With a simple spin he unleashed unleashed a fiery attack, the radius of which increased as he spun. After that he put away his sword and shield. He looked over and noticed the two were speechless.

It took the master wizard a few moments to compose himself, never before had he come across such a person. "My boy that was truly amazing. I don't think I've ever seen anyone wield both arcane and holy magic before. Tell me, where did you acquire these powers?"

"Well, those first three spells were given to me by the Great Fairies, they were also the ones who gave me magic in the first place. As for the special arrows... I received the fire arrow by shooting an arrow into the sun, the ice arrow by completing a training ground set up by Gerudo Thieves, and the light arrow was given to me by a very special person." A frown came onto his face as he thought about Zelda.

"I see, you weren't born with magic, it was a gift given to you by a higher power."

The Hylian nodded, it was something like that.

"Although you don't have many spells in your arsenal." He then noticed the man looked pretty worn out. "It also seems that using magic in excess takes a lot out of you. So how about I train you in the ways of the arcane?"

Link looked at the elder man curiously. "Train me?"

"Yes. I can tell you have great potential, you just need someone to help you get a better understanding of magic. With my help I can not only increase your magical capabilities, but also teach you a few new spells. So, what do you say."

"Sure, that sounds great. Thank you."

* * *

Anarial made her way towards the tavern, she wanted to have a quick drink before having to start the night shift. She wasn't much of a drinker but she did enjoy a little bit of liquor from time to time. She entered the tavern and noticed her 'partner in crime' sitting at the bar, and by the looks of it he already had a couple.

"Hey Anarial, you want the usual?" The bartender asked.

"Yes please." She said before walking over to her fellow guard. "You know, it's alright to have a drink before work, but you're not supposed to get drunk."

Valmir turned to her and smirked. "I'm not drunk, and you know I can hold my liquor better than you can."

"Hm, as if." She joked as she took a seat next to him.

"So, how's Link doing?" The male Elf asked while drinking from his stein.

"Great actually." A stein was then placed in front of her. "Thank you. Anyway, Link is adjusting far better than I expected. He already joined the Eleven Defenders and he's a star student I hear."

He glanced over at his fellow guard. "You're kidding?"

"Nope I'm afraid not." She smirked.

"Well I'll be. I should have expected he was some kind of warrior, I mean he was equipped with a sword and shield when I found him."

Anarial nodded. "Oh and get this, he can also do magic."

Hearing that made him spit out his ale. After wiping his mouth he looked at the girl with wide eyes. "So not only is he a skilled warrior but he can do magic too?!" He received a nod. "That's just great, he's going to make me look bad."

The female High Elf chuckled. "You don't need anyone to help you with that." She joked, making the bartender laugh.

"Good one." The man joked.

Valmir grumbled before taking another sip. "So where is mister perfect?"

"He's with Mariel receiving magic training." She explained.

A smirk came onto the male archer's face. "I gotta admit, once he finishes training Link will be a force to be reckoned with. No one will even think of messing with Quel'Thalas with him on our side."

She rolled her eyes. "No one's messing with us now." She then smiled. "You're right though, he really is an incredible person. He's strong, tough, handsome." Her eyes glanced over at her partner who was grinning.

"You like him don't you?"

"What? No I don't!" She denied, a blush appearing on her face as she did so.

"You totally like him, I'll bet your thinking about him right now." He snickered. "Oh Link, come over here and kiss me." He joked.

Fed up with his antics the female Elf smacked the back of his head.

"Ow!" He complained. "Jeez can't you take a joke?"

"Can't you take a punch?" She snickered before drinking more of her ale.

He merely chuckled as he rubbed his now sore head. "You know my head is my weak spot."

Anarial laughed as she downed more of her drink. Once she finished it she threw a couple of gold onto the counter. "Thanks for the drink, but our shift is about to start." She stood up and started walking away. Before long though she turned around. "Hey, weren't you listening? I said our shift is about to start."

"Can't you go on without me, I'm sure you'll be fine."

The female Elf sighed. "Fine, but first I think I'll go tell the captain that you were shirking your duties. I'm sure he'll understand that you were too busy getting drunk to keep the town safe." She smirked as she neared the exit.

"Alright I'm coming!" He yelled as he paid for his multiple drinks. "The things I do for this town." He muttered.

* * *

"One very important thing to remember about Magic is that it is something that resides within all of us. There are many people out there who can learn the art of magic, yet they don't because of their mental limitations. Once those mental blocks are gone only then can one tap into the magical well within themselves." Mariel explained.

Link nodded.

"From what I saw you have quite the ability when it comes to magic, yet your spells are slightly limited. You said you received your magic from Great Fairies correct?"

"Yes."

The High Elf paused for a moment before continuing. "The thing is, most people obtain magic by studying and practicing it, so they already are at a good place to learn more. In your case you were given magic and all those spells, and your limitations are set based on what was given."

The Hero of Time didn't quite understand all of that, yet he nodded and continued to listen.

"It might be difficult, but I think you should be able to learn more spells. Or at the very least improve the spells you already have."

"Great, so where do we start?"

A smile came onto Mariel's face as he stood up and walked over to one of the many bookcases in the Arcane Sanctum's library. He scanned around for the right book but he was having trouble remembering where it was. "Ah here it is!" He pulled a big book off the shelf and blew the dust off. "Magic for beginners." He handed the book to his new student.

Link took the book and shot his teacher an annoyed look. "I have to read all of this?"

"Yes, if you wish to learn magic you must study it."

"Yeah, I'm not much of a reader." He told the mage.

Mariel laughed once again. "Well don't worry, it's not really that bad."

The Hylian opened the book and groaned. "Did I forget to mention that I can't read Thalassian?"

"Here." The High Elf snapped his fingers and a poof of smoke escaped the open tome. He grinned upon seeing the confused look of his student. "I cast a translation spell, you should be able to read it now."

"Thanks." He muttered. A second later he was hit on the head by his teacher. "What was that for?!"

"Learning magic isn't easy, it requires a lot of patience. And if you don't have the patience to read a book than you should just leave now." Mariel told him sternly. While he was very nice he could also be pretty strict, especially when dealing with lazy students.

With a sigh the Hero of Time took his book and made his way over to a table. He sat down and opened his book to page one. _'This had better be worth it!' _He then began to read the book. As much as he didn't want to sit and read for hours on end he had no choice. Before long he heard something touch his desk. He glanced up from his book and saw a cup in front of him.

"This tea is the finest in all of Azeroth." Mariel stated with a smile. "It should help you relax and concentrate on that book."

The Hylian had no idea what tea was but nodded his head in thanks anyway. He grabbed the cup and took a sip. At first he nearly spit it out because of how hot it was, but after a while he got used to the taste. Tea was a surprisingly good drink. Of course it was no Lon Lon Milk, but he had to admit it was good. After taking a few more sips he set his cup down and got to reading.

* * *

A big yawn escaped Link's mouth as he continued reading the large tome. He wasn't sure how long he had been there, but one thing was for sure that it was definitely longer than he would have liked. Still, he actually found the book pretty interesting. While it was pretty much all about magic there were a few parts about great wizards and mages. And although he might not have known it he was subconsciously learning a good deal about magic.

"It's amusing how someone who doesn't like reading can be so wrapped up in a book." Mariel joked.

"I didn't have much choice in the matter." The Hylian reminded. If it were up to him he would have skipped out on reading, but it was something he had to do. If he wanted magic training he had to suck it up and read.

"Still, I admire your determination."

Link smiled weakly at him before returning to his book. There wasn't much left to it fortunately, and as soon as he finished he could begin training. About half an hour later and the Hylian finished the last page of the book. With a satisfied sigh he closed the book and stood up, taking some time to stretch his stiff muscles.

"So you finished?" His teacher questioned.

"Yes."

"Excellent, you've passed the first test!" He smiled.

Link raised an eyebrow.

"The first test in learning magic is working on your patience. If one is going to study the arcane then they will need a lot of patience."

"Right." The Hylian nodded. "So what's the next lesson?" He was eager to actually start doing something more interesting.

Mariel rubbed his chin. "The next step will be choosing what kind of spells you want to learn." He once again headed over to the various shelves and scanned it over. A few moments later he found the correct book. "This book contains a complete list of all the known spells. Obviously there will be a good amount of them that are too difficult for a beginner, but you're sure to find some that are within your skill set." He handed his student the book.

"I don't have to read this whole thing do I?"

A laugh escaped the Elf's mouth. "Not if you don't want too. Oh, and there isn't a lot of reading to do in this book anyway. For each spell there's a picture of what it does, and the only words are explaining the picture."

_'That's not too bad.' _He nodded in thanks and went back to the table he was sitting at before. Upon sitting down he moved the other book aside and set the new one down. He opened it up and skimmed through the pages, just to see if his teacher was right about what he said. Link's eyes went wide as he moved from one page to the next. There were indeed images of each spell, and a description about said spell. And he had to admit that some of those spells looked pretty cool.

"It warms my heart to see such determination in my students."

The Hero of Time didn't acknowledge his mentor's comment, he was too focused on the book. Before actually choosing a specific spell he was going to go through every page. By doing that he would see just what kind of magic he could learn, and when he found one he wanted he would mark that page. Several minutes passed and he had already flipped through most of the tome, and had marked a lot of pages that had promising spells.

Mariel took a break from his own book to check on his student. He was kind of surprised that his student had already gone through most of the book. When he noticed that some pages were bookmarked he realized what the warrior was doing. _'At least he's interested in a lot of those, it'll give him quite a bit of variety.'_

After another couple of minutes the Hylian was on to the next step. He had already marked all the pages of interest, and now he was going back and reading the details of each spell. He soon realized that not all of them were as good as he first thought, and there were some that seemed impossible to learn. Yet he was glad to know that about half of them were well within his skill range. "Finished." He called out.

"Ah yes, well done." The mage took the tome from his pupil. "Let's see here, hm," He looked over each spell chosen. "you certainly chose a variety. And I see that you're very interested in healing magic."

Link nodded.

"Hm, unfortunately I can't help with that, you'll have to find a Priest or a Paladin for that one." Mariel explained. "However, I can certainly assist you with all of these other spells."

"Thank you." Link bowed.

A chuckle escaped the mage's mouth. "Don't mention it. Now, let's get started shall we?"

* * *

I'm ending it here, sorry to leave on a slight cliffhanger(if this even is a cliffhanger). As you can see Link has displayed his magical abilities and is going to learn under Mariel. I know in the game Farore's Wind only works in temples, but there aren't going to be any temples in this story. Instead I'm making so it can be set in any town or city, kind of like the Hearthstone in World of Warcraft. And I know this isn't the most exciting thing, but be patient, shit will hit the fan soon enough... so to speak. Be sure to R and R and have a fantastic day!

FutureShock


	7. Preparations

Chapter Seven: Preparations

Deep within Silvermoon City, a war meeting was taking place. Attending this meeting were several high ranking members of the High Elven Army. A few commanders, generals, a master mage, and two Paladins. They were standing in front of a large map, showing the northern part of Azeroth. It started at Quel'Thalas and traveled all the way down to Southern Lordaeron.

"What's keeping her, she's never been late?" A Paladin by the name of Malanior asked.

"Don't worry," Athaniar, one of the leaders of the Elven Defenders of Silvermoon said. "she will be here shortly."

Just then a woman walked through the big doors of the war room. She wore dark brown boots, dark brown pants with a blue and gold design running down a small part of her upper thigh. A blue shirt with gold lining and designs that stopped right below her breasts. On her wrists were plate wrist-guards, with the same coloration and designs as her shirt. She had two shoulder-pads, again with the same coloration and designs. To complete her outfit was a long blue cloak, with gold lining and a hood.

Everyone present bowed to the woman. "It is good to see you, lady Sylvanas Windrunner." A knight bowed.

"I apologize for the delay. I was running a little late this morning." She told the council before taking her place. Slyvanas was the Ranger General of Silvermoon. She was the leader of the High Elves, and in charge of keeping Quel'Thalas safe. Under her rule the Elves have lived peacefully in Azeroth... but the times were changing.

Malanior nodded knowingly. "Now then, let's get on with the meeting." He began, all the while grabbing a nearby knife. The Paladin stuck the blade right at the border between the Elven and Human lands. "As you all know, Lordaeron was once the proud human stronghold... but unfortunately that is no longer the case."

"Come now, surely you don't believe those ridiculous rumors?" Solilas the mage asked.

"I do." He told the elder Elf.

The mage laughed. "That is preposterous! You can't honestly expect the crown prince to join the undead!"

Athaniar turned to the wizard. "What about the reports from our brethren who joined the prince on his expedition to Northrend?"

"I read the reports... but I still find it hard to believe that Prince Arthas would become the very monsters he was trying to destroy." Solilas stated.

"You're too ignorant mage," One knight spat. "we can't simply ignore the rising undead threat."

Solilas scoffed. "What threat, we have seen no signs of any 'undead army'. Besides, there's no way the Humans could have been defeated by such mindless creatures." He then turned towards Slyvanas. "What do you think milady?"

Slyvanas put a hand to her chin. "While I do find it hard for Lordaeron to have fallen, we can't rule out any possibilities."

"Exactly." Malanior stated. "We must ready the defenses."

"Even if the undead were amassing an army, they are no threat to us. In case you all have forgotten our land is protected by huge forests. There's no way anything can even enter Quel'Thalas." The mage said.

The Ranger General glanced down at the map. "That may be true, but if these undead are anything remotely similar to Humans they will find a way into our lands."

"Pardon me milady, but even if they did manage to enter our lands, they would be met with heavy resistance." Solilas noted.

"The closest town to the border is Foreithel, a small place with not many defenses." The Paladin reminded. "They wouldn't be able to hold off an oncoming invasion... not for long anyway."

Slyvanas nodded. "If Foreithel falls it would only be a matter of time before the undead begin taking more of our land."

"They would have to pass by our gates, not to mention our armies." The mage reminded.

"Still..." The Ranger General began. "it's not a risk I'm willing to take."

One knight nodded. "I agree. It's better to be prepared, even if by some small chance the rumors aren't true."

"Well... I suppose that it couldn't hurt to fortify near the border." The mage relented. "Although I still believe this is nonsense."

"Believe me, I wish this wasn't real either. However, we must accept that fact that the world is changing." Sylvanas told the council grimly.

"So what is our course of action milady?" Malanior questioned.

She pointed close to the border between the two lands. "I will go and oversee the fortifications myself."

Everyone gasped, having not expected that answer. After a brief pause another high ranking Ranger spoke up. "I apologize in advanced for what I'm about to say, but... are you crazy?!"

"I have to agree," Solilas noted. "if there truly is an undead army heading our way, then you could be caught in the battle. If we were to lose you, well..."

"You all seem to forget who you're speaking to. I didn't become Ranger General for nothing. I am a Windrunner, I can handle myself." She told the worried Elves.

There was another brief pause before Malanior spoke up. "If this is your decision then I support it, but please take care of yourself out there."

Slyvanas nodded. "I will. Now then, I must secure a zeppelin, as well as a few troops. This meeting is dismissed."

With that everyone began leaving the war room.

The Ranger General left shortly after the others. Before she could leave she needed to grab a few things. _'I have no idea what's going to happen, but I pray that no harm will come to my people, or our beloved forests.'_

* * *

"Again!" Mariel shouted.

The past few days had been very hectic for Link. In addition to his training with the Elven Defenders he also had magic practice with Mariel. To say he was worn out, would have been an understatement. Yet, he was used to pushing himself for long periods of time without rest, so he ignored his pain and sleepiness and focused on the task at hand.

The Hero of Time took a deep breath as he focused his magic. He could feel the energy flowing through his body, he just needed to unleash it. After a few seconds he was ready to try it again. "Hyaaa!" With a mighty yell he thrust his left hand forward, hoping to launch a fire ball. Unfortunately nothing happened. A frustrated sigh escaped his mouth afterwords.

"Hm, this is indeed troubling." The Elven mage walked over to his pupil. "You've been at this for hours and haven't even created one fireball."

"Don't remind me." Link muttered.

Mariel paused for a moment. Of course, being around as long as he has, he had seen all kinds of students. Some took to magic like a sponge, easily grasping the art of the arcane. On the opposite end of the spectrum were those who couldn't even make a small fire. The difficult thing was that Link already knew magic, yet he was struggling with a pretty basic spell.

Link glanced over at his master, seeing that he was deep in thought. A frown came onto his face as he stared at the seemingly disappointed Elf. The Hylian actually felt a little disappointed with himself too. He was a legendary hero, having faced all kinds of challenges, puzzles, and danger... but he couldn't even preform magic. That fact was made worse because Link actually _could _use magic.

"Link." Mariel began. "You are a very rare case. Never before have I seen someone who can use magic fail at learning new spells."

"I don't know why I can't do it. Maybe this is something I can't learn on my own." He lamented.

A pained look graced the mage's face. He really did want to help the Hylian learn more spells, but teaching him wasn't easy. His brow furrowed. "I refuse to give up on you Link. Perhaps we need a break."

The Hero of Time looked at the High Elf before nodding.

"Good. Now then, I'll do some further research on the matter. Why don't you come back in a few hours."

Link once again nodded as he bowed. He then exited the room. After a few minutes he had finally left the Arcane Sanctum. Once outside he inhaled deeply before exhaling. He needed something to take his mind off of his training troubles.

"Yo Link!"

He turned to his left and noticed Valmir running towards him. "Hey, long time no see." He greeted.

The archer stopped in front of the Hylian and extended his hand. As expected it was grabbed and shaken. "So, how's magic practice going?"

"Bad."

Valmir paused for a moment, not expecting that answer. He raised an eyebrow. "Bad, huh? I heard you were some kind of prodigy." He stated with a grin.

Link glanced to the side, resisting the urge to glare at the Elf. "I didn't think it would be difficult to learn new spells, but I was wrong." He let out a sigh of frustration. "It's just annoying!"

"Hey don't worry about it. I'm sure Slyvanas had trouble learning how to use a bow, and look at her now." The High Elf received a very confused glance from the Hylian. "Never mind. The point is, it will probably take some time. Just keep at it, okay?"

The Hero of Time smiled at the man.

"Good. Oh, there was something I needed to tell you. Captain Sautar wanted to see you in the barracks."

"Right." He nodded. "I guess I should get going, see you later Valmir." With that Link ran off to go find his other trainer.

After a quick run Link had arrived at the barracks. He slowed his pace and waved at the guards at the front entrance. Once inside he was greeted by the sight of his fellow recruits. He smiled and bowed to the ones in the immediate area.

His gesture was returned by a few of the trainees. "So I hear you've become the captain's prize student?" One man asked with a slight sneer.

The Hero of Time slowly nodded, not appreciating the snarkiness. "I guess so."

"Hmph, well aren't you special. Mister perfect!" The Elf spat.

A small smirk came onto the Hylian's face. "Well maybe if you'd try harder you wouldn't seem so bad by comparison." He wasn't usually sarcastic, but he just couldn't help himself.

The Elf's fists clenched after hearing that remark. He clenched his teeth as he glared at the smug warrior. "Why you..." He reeled one of his fists back, ready to punch his fellow student in the face. Right as he was about to throw a punch his fist was grabbed from behind.

"That's enough!" Captain Sautar told the rowdy student. He then released his grip. "I don't want to see any more fighting, is that clear?!"

"Yes sir." He bowed.

"Good. Now, get out of my sight!"

Several murmurs escaped his mouth as he walked away.

With him gone the captain turned towards the Hylian. "It's good to see you Link." He bowed to the man.

Link returned the gesture. "You too. So, I heard from Valmir that you wanted to see me."

"Yes. I wanted to tell you that in all my years I have never seen such a student. Not only are you an excellent swordsman, but your accuracy with the bow is incredible. I've pit you up against the other recruits and you win every time!"

A slight blush started appearing on Link's face. He wasn't used to all of this admiration.

"I'm sure you've heard that I don't just give compliments to anyone. You have to earn my praise. And you, my boy, have done that and more." Sautar held out his hand. "Link, I would personally like to welcome you to the Elven Defenders."

The Hero of Time's eyes went wide, and his mouth agape. It shouldn't have been a surprise that he made it, but even he didn't think it would've been so easy. His open mouth quickly turned into a smile. "Thank you sir." He shook the captain's hands.

"Hey, you earned it kid." They continued to shake hands for a few seconds before stopping. "Now then, if you're going to be an Elven Defender you're going to need some armor."

"Armor?" The hylian questioned.

Captain Sautar nodded. "Of course. You can't just rush into battle without protecting yourself." He stated proudly.

"Pardon me sir, but I've never really worn much armor before."

A hearty laugh escaped the Elven warrior. "Don't worry my boy, you'll get used to it."

Before the Hylian could protest his captain was already heading towards the armory. With a slight sigh he followed the Elf.

After walking for a few minutes the two of them arrived at the armory. Link took a moment to take it all in. He hadn't been inside the armory yet, and had only heard about it. It was a pretty amazing sight. He could see several racks of all kinds of weapons. One wall was lined with dozens of shields. Different types of armor were spread out on several shelves and racks, and those were located all around the room. He could also see a bunch of crates scattered around, and he assumed that they held more armor and weapons.

"Pretty impressive huh?" The captain asked with a grin.

Link could only nod. Even if he wasn't one to wear armor it was still impressive.

"Well, we've got a huge selection. Whatever you need, whether it be leather or plate, we've got you covered." He let out a slight chuckle before clearing his throat. "Anyway, take a look around. I'm sure you'll find something you like."

The Hero of Time gave him a nod before walking around. He was set on weaponry, since he still had all of his equipment he obtained in Hyrule, so he browsed the armor. Unfortunately he didn't see anything useful. Obviously there was a lot of armor, but it was mostly heavy pieces of plate. He preferred staying light in battle, being able to move or jump at a moments notice. After a few moments he turned to the Elven warrior and sighed.

"Something wrong?"

"I know you're dead set on me wearing armor, but this stuff is too heavy. It would only slow me down. In a fight I rely on mobility, speed, and agility." He explained.

Captain Sautar merely nodded in understanding. "Don't worry about it lad, we've got lighter types of armor." Normally, he would want his students covered from head to toe in plate armor, like every swordsman would wear. Yet he knew Link wasn't an ordinary swordsman, so he decided to make an exception. "Now let's see what we can do for you."

Link watched as the Elf headed over to the back corner of the armory.

The High Elf opened up one of the various crates and started looking through it. He picked up several pieces of, what looked like leather armor. Upon picking the pieces up he studied them for a few moments before tossing them aside. "Hm, it's not in this one." He then put his hand to his chin and paused for a moment. A few seconds later his face lit up. "Now I remember, it's over here." The Elf walked over to the other side of the room and opened another crate. "Ah here we go."

Curious, the Hylian walked over to his captain. He stopped right behind the Elf.

"I found just the thing for you." Sautar stood up and turned towards his student. In his hands was what appeared to be nothing but chains.

"What is it?"

"This, my boy, is chain-mail." He explained. "It's strong enough to protect against most blade attacks, and light enough for you to move quickly in battle. The design doesn't hinder mobility either."

Link felt a little stupid for not recognizing the material, he had seen a few guards wear something similar.

"Well, why don't you try it on?"

A smile came onto his face as he took the armor from the Elven warrior. He was about to ask for some privacy but the elf was already leaving the room. Once he was alone he removed his sword and shield, and then started taking off his clothes. With nothing on but his underwear he began putting the chain-mail on. He put the pants on first, and then the shirt. As he finished putting the shirt on he took a good look at himself. Everything but his head, hands, and feet were covered in chain-mail.

He then took a moment to see how well he could move with the new armor on. To his delight he had pretty much the same mobility as before. He could run, jump, and preform general movements with ease. It was as if he wasn't wearing the armor at all. And the best part was that he was some extra protection from attacks, in case an enemy somehow made it past his sword and shield.

With his armor on he put his clothes back on. Luckily he was able to wear both the chain-mail, and his new outfit at the same time, which wasn't much of a surprise the more he thought about it. Upon fully redressing himself he noticed that his armor was completely covered by his clothes, which he liked. Enemies would have no idea that he had any kind of protection underneath his outfit.

Link then left the armory and noticed Captain Sautar standing a few feet in front of him.

"So, what do you think of the chain-mail?"

"It's great. It's exactly how you described it." He told the Elf.

"That's good to hear." Sautar smiled.

The Hero of Time bowed to the Elven warrior. "Thank you, captain."

Sautar returned the bow. "Don't mention it, anything for an Elven Defender." He smiled again before becoming serious. "I don't know what will happen in the future, but we need to be ready for anything. It's our job to defend our homeland from invaders. If anything should happen we'll be there at the front lines. You'll be putting your life on the line out there, so promise me you'll be careful."

"It's nothing new to me, but I will." He smiled.

The Elf put his hand on his student's shoulder. "You're going to be great Link."

Link nodded before making his way towards the exit. He still had some time before he needed to return to Mariel. A yawn then escaped his mouth. He hadn't realized how tired he was. _'I guess magic training took more out of me than I thought.' _His next destination was the inn. A little shut eye would do him some good.

Right as he neared the entrance he paused for a moment. He couldn't explain it, but he suddenly had a bad feeling. Like something really bad was going to happen. More specifically, that something evil was right at the Elves' doorstop. Link then shook his head, and chalked up his feeling to a lack of sleep.

* * *

It had taken quite a while, and the journey was long and tedious, but Arthas and his undead army had finally reached their destination; Quel'Thalas. He had been informed by Tichondrius that in order to revive Kel'Thuzad he needed to travel to the Elven lands. Apparently the Elves had just what they needed to bring the necromancer back from the dead. All he needed to do was find a way in.

Unfortunately, that wasn't so simple. At first glance it didn't seem like entering Quel'Thalas was difficult, but surprisingly it was. One could enter the initial forests, the ones that bordered Lordaeron, but finding the actual entrance wasn't easy. Luckily Arthas, he came across an unsuspecting Elf who was just wandering through the forests. Capturing the fool was rather easy. And now he had a lead for entering the Elven lands.

Before putting his plan into action the fallen prince took a moment to take in his surroundings. He stopped his stead on a small overhang, located right next to a big river. He stared off into the distance, letting the memories of this place return to him. "Ah, wondrous, eternal Quel'Thalas. I haven't been here since I was a boy."

The ghost of Kel'Thuzad had been by his side. He had been acting as a sort of guide to the Death Knight. "Be wary. The Elves likely wait in ambush." He warned the fallen prince.

"The frail Elves do not concern me, necromancer." He said as he turned towards the ghost. "Our forces are strengthened with every foe we slay."

Done with the reminiscing, the death knight was ready to start his next quest. He turned around and led his horse back to his armies. He barely made it a few feet before stopping. Arthas couldn't explain it, but he felt some kind of holy presence. It didn't feel like it belonged to a Paladin though. It was almost like there was someone powerful waiting for him... but he then shook his head. He figured it was just the magic of the Elves he was feeling. Quel'Thalas was a very magical place after all.

After that little stop he resumed riding. And a few moments later he reached his army.

"Don't be too overconfident, Death Knight. The eElves must not be taken lightly."

"We shall see. Bring forth the prisoner."

The Elf was being escorted by a few ghouls, who looked ready to start devouring the poor man. Despite staring death in the face the Elf was stone faced. On the inside he was slightly afraid, but he didn't let his face betray himself.

Arthas stared at the man. "Where is the entrance to your land, Elf?"

"You will never enter Quel'Thalas, fallen prince. The woods themselves protect our borders, and the enchanted elf gates protect our capital." He stated with a slight smirk.

The Death Knight found slight satisfaction in the man's resiliency. If only because of what he was about to do next. "Your precious gates will not stop me anymore than these trees, little Elf. Bring up the meat wagons, we'll make our own entrance." He grinned, much to the horror of the Elf. "Kill him!" He ordered.

Without warning the two ghouls pounced on the Elf, not giving him a chance to defend himself. Slowly they began to rip the Elf apart, biting into his flesh and tearing off his limbs.

Arthas ignored the display, and the mans screams, and turned his attention towards his meat wagons. He watched as his acolytes pushed the Scourge catapults. Once they were in range they loaded the artillery. He raised his hand, signaling them to get ready. As soon as they were ready he lowered his hand, ordering them to fire.

In a matter of seconds the stone projectiles were launched through the air, on a collision course for the trees. They stayed airborne for only a few moments before colliding with the trees. As soon as they hit the trees they were instantly taken down. With the trees down the undead had a clear path into Quel'Thalas.

The siege was about to begin.

* * *

That looks like a good place to stop. I apologize for the wait on an update. It was my birthday on Monday and I was busy celebrating over the weekend. There was also other stuff going on, so I hope this chapter makes up for it. The moment we have all been waiting for has come, Arthas is about to begin his invasion of Quel'Thalas. Can Link help his fellow Elven Defenders repel the undead, or will Arthas and his men successfully make it to Silvermoon? Stay tuned to find out. Be sure to RandR and have a wonderful day!

FutureShock


	8. Scourge

Chapter Eight: Scourge

Coria smiled brightly as she made her way through the town. As of right now she was heading to the bakery to pick up some bread for later. It was such a nice day outside that she couldn't help but walk slowly. There wasn't too much on her agenda for the day, so she figured why not enjoy the beauty of her home.

After a few minutes of walking she reached the bakery. The first thing she saw was the smiling face of Athaniar. "Good day to you Athaniar." She greeted while entering the establishment.

The male Elf was always happy whenever someone came to his little shop. He had been known as one of the best bakers in all of Quel'Thalas. People would come from miles away just to sample some, one woman even came all the way from Silvermoon for a taste. And although he was offered to set up shop in the city he preferred the small town crowd. "If it isn't Coria. How are you dear?"

"I'm doing great, how about you?"

"Fantastic!" He beamed.

Coria chuckled lightly at his enthusiasm.

"So, do you want the usual?"

"Yes please." She answered.

Athaniar nodded. "Coming right up." He then walked into the back room to gather the pieces of bread for his customer. A few moments later he was walking with a basket full of steaming bread sticks and loafs, all of them smelling divine. "Here we are."

One whiff was all the female Elf needed to tell how good it was going to be, then again, she already knew that it was going to be great. "It looks as good as always." She complimented as she reached into her pocket. Taking out a few gold pieces she placed them into his hands. She then grabbed the basket. "Thank you." With her bread in hand she began leaving the establishment.

"No, thank you." Athaniar smiled as she waved her goodbye.

Once outside Coria took another good look at her food, and also another deep whiff. "Mmm, this will be great with some jam." She then began making her way home.

As she was walking she could hear some rumbling in the distance, and the ground shaking beneath her told her that it wasn't that far away. Suddenly the trees to her left fell down with a loud boom. The culprits were several giant stones, which nearly rolled into town.

The Elf stared at the scene curiously, having no idea where those came from. Coria was also starting to worry quite a bit. This was the first time something like this had happened, and the trees didn't fall down on their own. She was then snapped out of her thoughts as she caught sight of something truly horrifying.

Hundreds of undead started pouring in through the previously made entrance. Some were mere skeletons with bits of flesh still on some of them. Despite the seemingly harmless appearance they looked very savage. Some skeletons had swords, shields, and bows. There were also a few that had robes on, in addition to the staves they carried.

Leading the charge was the former prince of Lordaeron: Arthas. Riding his skeletal horse, and wearing dark, heavy, plate armor.

"Oh no." She muttered. Not a moment later a ghoul came charging at her. Too afraid to muster up any kind of defense the High Elf stood frozen in place.

The ghoul pounced onto the helpless Elf and began to rip her apart. Limbs were torn off, flesh was bitten off. His victim quickly became a bloody pile of flesh and bones, but at this rate it was going to be just bones. Blood dripped from his mouth, and bits of flesh got stuck in his misshapen teeth.

Alarms soon rang out throughout the town, and the loud bells signaled everyone that they were under attack. In an instant soldiers ran out of the barracks, most of them ready to take on the undead threat. Those in towers began to attack the army from above, with a combination of both arrows, and magical blasts.

Arthas watched with amusement as the High Elves tried to quickly muster up a defense against his army. He could easily tell that he had the advantage at the moment, he had caught the unsuspecting Elves off guard. His eyes then drifted up to the guard towers, which were proving to be quite a nuisance to his army. "Aim the Meat Wagons at the guard towers, I want them taken down!" He barked.

With a simple nod the acolytes began rotating the Scourge catapults, making them all face the closest towers. They then walked over to recollect the stones they had previously used to get into the Elven lands. Using all their strength they hefted the heavy artillery several feet off the ground. They then brought the stones to the Meat Wagons, placing them into the back portion.

"Fire!" The Death Knight commanded.

Upon pulling back the lever the huge stones were launched through the air. The heavy stones soared through the air, on a direct course with the Elven towers. As soon as the projectiles hit the towers they destroyed a big portion of them. One stone hit just the right spot and caused the structure to completely collapse, killing the Elves that were on it in the process.

* * *

"This is insane!"

On top of the only in tact guard tower remaining were Valmir, Anarial, and Kalara, the sorceress who stood watch with them. None of them had expected the undead to arrive, let alone in such great numbers. For so long Quel'Thalas had been at peace, with only the occasional troll sighting. Yet here was a Scourge army, right at their doorstep. It was just unbelievable.

"Just keep shooting!" Anarial yelled to him as she let another arrow fly.

Valmir had two arrows nocked and let them fly, sending them straight into the heads of two undead warriors. He then reached behind into his quiver and pulled out two more arrows. He nocked them before picking his next targets. The High Elf could see one swordsman struggling to take on two ghouls. Perfect. Once the shot was lined up he let the pointed projectiles fly, and they struck both targets in the back of the head.

Kalara unleashed a giant fireball on a group of skeletons, setting them ablaze. Right as she was about to launch another an arrow pierced her neck. Blood began pouring down her neck as the female Elf staggered backwards. The only sounds coming out of her mouth were inaudible gasps. Just then another arrow struck her, hitting her right in the forehead. Her body began falling forward and she soon fell off of the tower.

The female archer watched with wide eyes as her friend fell to the ground with a hard thud. "No..."

"Come on Anarial focus!" He yelled as he unleashed another arrow.

She shook her head before nocking an arrow. As she searched for a target she noticed several robbed figures preparing to load up another one of their catapults. The archer unleashed the projectile and killed one of them. "We have to take down those catapults."

Valmir quickly diverted his attention towards the contraptions before ducking down, just narilly avoiding several arrows that were aimed for his face. He then stood back up and aimed his bow at one of the robbed figures. He drew an arrow and fired it at the undead, hitting him right in the chest.

"Have you seen Link anywhere?" The female High Elf asked as she took down an archer.

So far he had only seen his fellow Elven Soldiers on the battlefield. Since Link was the only one with a green tunic and hat it was easy to pick him out among a crowd. Yet he hadn't seen him. There had to be some reason why he wasn't there. It certainly didn't seem like him to run or hide. "No."

Anarial started to panic. She didn't know how long they could hold out. They needed Link, and they needed him now! "Where could he be?"

"I don't know, but hopefully he shows up soon. We could certainly use his help."

_'Come on Link, we need you.' _She didn't want to lose hope. She knew that he would show up soon.

* * *

The Hero of Time had been known as a courageous hero, one that never gave up no matter what. Another fact that not many knew about him was that he was quite the heavy sleeper. Link couldn't really explain it, but when he went to sleep he really went to sleep. He figured that since he was constantly on the move, constantly tackling challenging obstacles, that he wore himself out too much.

By now Link was the only one still in the inn. Everyone else had left the building at the first sign of trouble. Yet he remained there, completely unaware of what was going on outside.

Just then a huge rumbling shook the entire building, causing the sleeping hero to awake from his slumber. His eyes instantly shot open and he quickly left the bed. From inside his room he could hear the sounds of fighting going on outside, and he had a strong feeling something was wrong. He quickly grabbed his sword and shield and secured them to his back. He then ran out of the room.

Link bolted down the stairs and headed right for the exit. As soon as he was outside he gasped loudly. Foreithel was being attacked by an army of the undead. He could see several buildings burning, while others were reduced to piles of rubble. His fellow Elves were fighting what looked like Stalchildren and Stalfos, except they looked much more vicious. And from the looks of it the undead were winning.

In an instant he drew his Master Sword and Hylian Shield. Now wasn't the time to panic, it was the time to fight. It didn't take long to get any action as an armed skeleton charged at him. Link sprinted towards his opponent. Once the gap had been closed the Hylian swung his sword diagonally, cleaving the undead in two.

To his left he could see one of his recruits surrounded by three of the savage Stalchildren, and he wasn't going to last much longer at the rate he was going. Well that wouldn't happen if he had anything to say about it.

The Elf was hiding behind his shield feeling completely terrified. His rigorous training couldn't have prepared him for this. He became so nervous that he lost his footing when backing up. He fell flat on his back and laid there helpless. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see his demise coming. Just when it looked like he was going to die he saw a blade slice each of the ghouls' heads off. His eyes slowly opened when he realized he was still alive, and he smiled brightly upon seeing that Link had saved him.

The High Elf gladly accepted the outstretched hand of his fellow soldier. "Thanks Link, I owe you one."

"Thank me later." With that done the Hero of Time rushed off into battle.

The recently saved Elf stared at him for a few moments before regaining his focus. And with slight nervousness he picked his sword and shield back up and rejoined the fray.

Link rushed towards a skeleton warrior with his sword slightly out by his side. His new opponent attempted to slice him in two but the Hylian was able to dodge. He then brought his sword down hard and cleaved the undead diagonally across it's body. He had little time to celebrate his victory as several arrows came his way. Raising his shield up high successfully protected him from the pointed projectiles.

The archers who shot at him were already loading up more arrows. Despite not having much intelligence they knew a threat when they saw one. So they were determined to continuously shoot arrows at him until he was dead.

With his shield out in front of him the Hylian charged at the undead archers. As he ran he could hear the arrows clanking off the metal of his defense. It would seem that his enemies weren't smart enough to aim for any lower parts of his body. After more clanking he used the opportunity to peak out of his defense, and he noticed the archers getting hit by huge fireballs.

Mariel and his students were also on the battlefield, using their magic to take the Scourge warriors down from a far. The mage flashed his newest apprentice a smile before unleashing an icy blast at a far away necromancer.

Link glanced over at his magic mentor for only a second as more Stalfos came towards him. He put up his guard, ready to take them on. Just then out of the corner of his eye he noticed several more coming from behind. _'I could have sworn I took them down already.' _The Hero of Time had little time to think as he quickly found himself surrounded.

There were several ways he could have gone about defending himself, but there was one that appeared to be the most effective. Momentarily putting his only means of defense away he concentrated his magic. He moved both hands to his side. "Hut!" He then brought his left hand down to the ground. "Hyah!" A huge dome of fire erupted from the ground and quickly expanded.

All of the undead soldiers were instantly burned by the attack, and they had no means of extinguishing the flames. After a few agonizing moments the skeleton warriors were reduced to nothing but ashes.

Destroying those enemies was only a small victory. The Hylian could see many more undead in the area, and for some reason there were even more than he remembered. His Elven brethren were fighting hard, but it was clear that they were still recovering from the surprise invasion.

It was then that Link saw him, the person riding on the undead horse. The man looked the most alive out of everyone else, and for being undead that was saying something. He wore heavy plate armor, which was nearly as dark as his skin tone. What stuck out the most was his sword. It was big, and seemed to be radiating with dark energy. All in all the man had an evil presence. It reminded the Hylian of Ganondorf, but much worse.

* * *

Arthas hadn't really moved from his spot, especially after what he had just witnessed. The mysterious Elf in green was no ordinary swordsman. While the other Elves were struggling against his minions the man in green was easily taking them down. And that fact was made all the more clear when he watched him create that big fiery dome. _'Hm, that guy is talented, but I suppose it doesn't matter. He'll soon fall like the rest."_

To his right he noticed one of the Elven guard towers was still in tact. The Death Knight looked over to the Meat Wagons only to find the acolytes manning them were dead. A grunt escaped his mouth as he pointed his sword at the ground. He watched as the bodies of his enemy began rising. After adding more troops to his army he pointed at the Scourge Catapult. "Load up the Meat Wagons, I want that tower demolished!"

No replies came from them but they heeded his command none the less.

A smirk appeared on his face as he watched his minions go to work. He then noticed several High Elven Soldiers charging at him. What fools.

"Show no mercy men!" Captain Sautar barked to his recruits. During combat he noticed that only a handful of his recruits had been able to hold their own. As for the rest they were no match for the undead warriors. The Elven warrior had a feeling that most of his men wouldn't survive an invasion, and disappointingly he was right.

One warrior raised his sword high as he charged. A fierce battle cry escaped his lips as he closed in on the Death Knight. "Take this you Scourge bastard!" Once he was close enough he brought his blade down.

Arthas laughed as he swung Frostmourne horizontally, cutting off the man's head. The horrified looks on the other soldiers' faces made him grin. "What's wrong, too scared to fight me?"

Captain Sautar grit his teeth as the grip on his swords intensified. He glared daggers at the fallen prince before sprinting forward. "I'm no coward!" As he drew near he could see his enemy dismounting from his steed. The High Elf brought his swords up and instantly swung them downwards. Unfortunately both blades were blocked by the huge sword of his foe.

"You're tougher than I gave you credit for." Arthas smirked as he used his strength to shove his opponent backwards.

The Elven captain found himself flat on his back. He was surprised at how easily he had been forced to ground. Perhaps he underestimated the traitor's strength. He then shook his head vigorously before getting back to his feet. Picking up his weapons he once again charged at the undead.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see his men engaging their own battles against the undead. He returned his focus on his own enemy. As soon as he was close enough he began swinging his swords wildly, trying to find an opening. Unfortunately all of his attacks were blocked. The Elf just couldn't get in close, and even if he could there was no way his blades could cut such thick armor.

Growing tired of this the Death Knight raised his other hand and called upon his dark powers.

Suddenly the Elven warrior found himself being lifted up off the ground. His weapons dropped to the floor as he struggled against the un-seen force. The High Elf knew the end was near, but that didn't mean he would show fear. "Hmph, to think the once proud prince of Lordaeron could become a puppet of evil." Sautar then chuckled lightly. "You may take Foreithel, but you wo-uh." He was stopped mid sentence by a blade being rammed through his heart.

Arthas removed Frostmourne from the now dead warrior and let his corpse fall to the ground. With that battle over he around and noticed his armies were winning, now greatly outnumbering the Elves. It would only be a matter of time before they were all dead.

* * *

The tides of battle were changing, and not in the High Elves' favor. Link had been fighting as hard as he could, but he just couldn't seem to do any kind of permanent damage. Just when it seemed like he had killed a good portion of the invading army more undead soldiers appeared. It was madness!

Glancing around the battlefield revealed that most of his Elven brethren had been slain. Their corpses littered the once beautiful town of Foreithel. The Hero of Time had to focus all of his willpower on not vomiting. It pained him that the people who had brought him in were slowly dying one by one. Their screams of pain didn't help put his mind at ease either.

Link brought his shield up to block a sword strike. He then hopped to the side before preforming a series of rapid sword slashes. The Hylian watched as the Stalfos was reduced to a mere pile of bones. As he was about to move he noticed a shocking sight. Far away from the battle were several robbed figures, and these figures appeared to have the power to raise the dead. _'That's it! That's how these skeletons keep coming back!'_

With his new targets in mind he raced towards them. He continued sprinting before abruptly stopping. An arrow had grazed his cheek, making him grunt in pain. He brought his right hand to his face and felt a wetness, and pulling the hand away revealed blood. A cut across the cheek was the least of his concerns, so he ignored it.

Just then a loud boom filled the area. The source came from the guard tower, or rather, what used to be the guard tower. The defensive structure had finally been taken down via the Meat Wagons. The whole ground shook as the tower crumbled. When everything settled there was merely a pile of rubble, as well as the injured bodies of two Elven soldiers.

The Hero of Time looked on with horror at the sight. He knew that Valmir and Anarial had been up there, that was their tower. And now they were buried deep within rubble. They were either seriously injured or dead, the hero didn't know which. "No..."

He continued staring before feeling something slashing at his backside. Luckily he was protected by his chain-mail. Link quickly spun around, slicing the head off the warrior who tried to get him with a sneak attack. Returning his attention forward he quickly ducked as a giant stone sailed over his head.

The stone crashed into one of the few remaining buildings. A huge hole now graced the Arcane Sanctum. And one unfortunate priest had been crushed by the giant object.

Link noticed those giant wooden and metal contraptions way in the back. He quickly realized just how dangerous they were, and how much more damage they could cause. And while his sword may not have been able to do much he had just the thing for the job. Bolting to his right he dove behind some rubble, now using it as makeshift cover.

He then placed his sword down and reached into his bag. A few seconds later he pulled out a Bombchu. The Hero of Time glanced up over his cover and noticed a clear path between him and the undead contraptions. Pushing a small button on the side started explosive, and as soon as he placed it on the ground it began moving forward.

A strange noise reached Arthas' ears. He turned towards the source and noticed some kind of blue and gold mouse moving across the ground, dragging along some kind of red streak. He watched as it traveled along the battlefield before it made contact with one of his Meat Wagons. As soon as it made contact with the catapult it exploded. His eyes went wide as he stared at the fiery wreckage. _'Since when do the Elves have access to Drawven technology?!'_

Right as Link was about to grab another Bombchu he felt his arm being grabbed. His eyes drifted to his left and he saw a skeleton preparing to bite into his arms. Reacting quickly he brought a foot up and kicked the Stalchild in the rib cage, sending it flying backwards. He then grabbed his weapon and ran over to his downed enemy. The Hero of Time cut the skeleton up before it could properly recover.

Glancing over at the recently destroyed guard tower revealed Anador and another priest trying to pull bodies from the wreckage. That wasn't the only thing he noticed. He could see a couple of the robbed men about to unleash magical blasts at his distracted Elves. Well not if he had anything to say about it.

Putting his sword and shield away Link reached into his bag and pulled out his Fairy Bow. Digging deeper into his bag he grabbed an arrow from his quiver. As soon as the arrow was nocked it started glowing with a golden light. _'Hm, I wonder if this will work.' _After lining up the shot he unleashed a Light Arrow upon the undead.

The necromancer had his staff pointed at the unsuspecting Elf, ready to blast a hole right through him. Right as he was about to fire he found himself in excruciating pain. His eyes drifted down and he noticed an arrow bathed in holy light was stuck in his chest. His entire body slowly started to fade away, all the while he was screaming loudly. Eventually his body vanished, leaving only his robe behind.

The Hero of Time took the opportunity and fired another Light Arrow, hitting the other robbed undead. Much like the last one his special arrow killed him instantly. With them gone he put away his bow and equipped his sword and shield.

Link leapt over the rubble, ready to help the priests. Before he could get far he found himself surrounded by Stalchildren. The Hylian was trapped in a closed off circle, and there was only one way out. Instantly dropping down into a squat Link extended his sword out to his side. The Master Sword slowly started glowing blue, and then red. He then spun around in a circle, releasing the full force of his spin attack.

He stayed there for a moment, watching as the living corpses fell to the ground in a pile of bones. As he returned to his normal standing position he noticed that he was the only one left on the battlefield. The priests who he had saved were already lying dead on the grass. Out of the corner of his eye he could see several skeletons feasting on the remains of Mariel. Everyone else had met a similar fate it seemed.

Despite the _very_ poor odds the Hero of Time stood firm. He was never one to give up, and he certainly wasn't going to start now. Sure, there was a chance he would die today, but at least he would go down fighting.

His grip on his sword tightened as he broke out into a sprint. The Hylian was charging at one of the Stalfos. Before he could even attempt a strike three arrows struck his enemy in the head. He looked on in confusion as he turned his head towards the source. His eyes went wide upon seeing who had shot the arrow.

* * *

Sylvanas had never really been one to worry. Even after becoming Ranger General of Silvermoon she was still as calm and collected as usual. That was partly due to the fact that there never really any problems in Quel'Thalas. Everything was peaceful, and that peace reflected on both her and the citizens of the land.

Perhaps it was a bad thing to be so adjusted to a nice, peaceful life. The Elven general didn't think so. In fact she preferred that everything was fine than to have some kind of mass panic. Unfortunately, like all good things, peace never seemed to last.

That fact was made all the more clear when Slyvanas and her handful of soldiers arrived at Foreithel. What was once a beautiful town was now a battlefield. The elegant Elven structures had been reduced to rubble. All the homes, shops, guard towers, it was all in ruins. And the cause of all of this destruction was none other than the undead.

The High Elf remembered the heated discussion before her departure. Some believed that the undead were coming, while others laughed it off as nonsense. Well, the truth had finally been revealed. Quel'Thalas was no longer a secluded safe haven, and that thought scared her greatly.

Sylvanas shook her head. Now wasn't the time to worry. Focusing on the task at hand she surveyed the battlefield, looking for any survivors. Lamentably there only seemed to be one person left alive. The man in green didn't look at all concerned by the overwhelming odds, or if he did he certainly didn't show it.

She watched as he charged valiantly into battle. It was then that the Ranger General realized it was now or never. She readied her bow and drew an arrow. After nocking the projectile she steadied herself, making sure to line up the shot. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her rangers doing the same thing. "Wait for it... NOW!"

In an instant a volley of arrows flew out of the trees. Three of them struck a skeletal warrior in the head. The others had managed to hit a few other ghouls, but the hits weren't as direct as they could've been.

Following that surprise attack the Elven reinforcements charged into battle. The rangers stayed in the back, firing a volley of arrows at the undead invaders. As for the two swordsmen they ran right into the fray.

One of the swordsman charged right at the fallen prince. With a mighty battle cry he raised his sword high in the air. His hopes for victory were quickly thrown out the window though. Right as he closed the gap he had been stabbed right through the heart. His armor provided no protection against the unholy blade. As the blade was pulled out of his body the man fell to the ground, dead.

Sylvanas looked at the unholy man in shock. While she had never personally met him she had heard things about Prince Arthas. He was a proud, noble young man, who wanted nothing more than to become a Paladin. King Terenas held him in high esteem, always mentioning how proud he was of his son.

Yet the man before her seemed nothing like that. Looking at the dark skinned man she saw only a monster. She could see it in his eyes. This man wanted nothing more than to slay everything in his path, to turn all living things into more undead soldiers. That process seemed to have already started though, and it would continue unless someone stopped him.

The Ranger General glared at the unholy demon as she slowly moved closer to him. "You are not welcome here! I am Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger General of Silvermoon. I advise you to turn back." She warned as she struck down another ghoul with her arrows.

"It is you who should turn back Sylvanas!" Arthas yelled. "Death itself has come to your land." He told her coldly.

Despite the chilling warning the High Elf stood firm. "Do your worst, the Elf Gate to the inner kingdom is protected by our most powerful enchantments. You shall not pass!"

A smirk came onto the Death Knight's face. "Oh I intend to."

It was then that the ranger noticed her small army had already been taken down. It appeared that the savageness of the Scourge was able to overwhelm her trained soldiers. She cursed underneath her breath as she continued shooting arrows at the invaders. Eventually she found herself being surrounded by the undead. The Elf took several steps back before bumping into someone. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed it was the man in green. _'At least he survived...'_

Link quickly realized that they were trapped. The only options were either to fight, or to run. The Hylian wasn't sure if they could take all of them on, and he had a feeling that it would only end in death. So, that left only one option, and as much as he hated doing so he had to get out of there.

"Hey, if you have any ideas I'd like to hear them." She stated.

Suddenly an idea came to Link's head. He twirled his sword in his hands for a few moments before sticking it into the ground. As he reached into his bag he turned slightly to the Elven woman. "Close your eyes, and keep them closed until I say so."

Unaware of what he was planning she nodded uneasily.

Just when it looked like they were about to be attacked Link removed his hand from his pouch. He then threw a Deku Nut out in front of him, and then one behind him. Not needing to check that it worked he instantly pulled his sword from the ground. After putting his sword and shield away he reached back into his bag, pulling out his Longshot a moment later.

Link then grabbed the female Elf by her waist and aimed his Longshot at a nearby tree. Pushing the button sent the hook soaring through the air, and it eventually embedded itself into the top part of the tree. Releasing his grip caused both him and his companion to fly upwards towards the tree.

Sylvanas had to open her eyes once she discovered she was in the air. Screams of pure terror escaped her mouth as she was taken along for the unexpected ride.

Upon reaching the end of the chain the duo landed upon a sturdy branch. The Hero of Time placed it back into his bag. He then kept digging through it, looking for something else.

"What in the world was that?!" Sylvanas questioned.

"I'll explain later." He told her. Just then he found what he was looking for. The Hylian pulled his hand out and in it was a pair of boots. They looked similar to his current pair, except these ones had some kind of yellow metal casing around the bottom. At the back end were a pair of small wings. "Hold these for a second."

Despite being very confused the ranger nodded as she took the strange boots.

Link took off his current pair and stuffed them into his pouch, much to his partner's confusion. He then grabbed the Hover Boots from the ranger and placed them onto his feet. With the boots on he stood up. "Climb onto my back." He instructed.

"What?"

"Just do it!" He yelled as he got down into a squat.

Figuring that it would be easier to comply she climbed into his back. Once she as on top of him, and after making sure she had a secure hold, she raised an eyebrow. "So what exactly are you do-AAAAAAAAAAH!" The next thing Sylvanas knew they had left the safety of the tree. Instead of plummeting towards their death they were actually walking across the air!

Link ignored her panic and continued moving from tree to tree. He was glad for all the sturdy branches, which allowed him to preform the dangerous escape. The Hylian kept going until the branch he was currently on snapped, making them fall towards the ground.

He yelled at the top of his lungs, much like his partner was doing. Reacting quickly he took out his Longshot and aimed it at a nearby tree. Right before they could hit the ground he fired the hook, and it struck the hard wood. They were pulled towards the tree and away from the ground. Luckily he had aimed pretty low, so when they reached the end they fell to the ground safely.

After that terrifying experience Sylvanas could only stand in complete shock. She then looked at the man with a blank expression. "Has anyone ever told you you're crazy?"

"No, I think you're the first." He chuckled lightly as he turned towards her. Upon doing so he froze up slightly. The person before him was beautiful, even with all of that armor on. Her appearance was similar to the archers he had seen, except she looked much more threatening. Her poise was a mix of both cunning, and grace.

Sylvanas too found herself staring at the man. He looked Elven but there was something human about him. Those kind blue eyes betrayed his stoic face. Looking all over she knew he was a warrior, and it wasn't because of his sword and shield. He had a heroic vibe, which seemed to radiate off of him. This was a man who had seen a lot in his life, and that battle back there definitely wasn't his first. "Thank you for saving me." She finally managed to say.

Link nodded. "I just wish I could've saved everyone else." He felt regret that he couldn't have done more. Everyone he had come to know in this new world was dead. It wasn't entirely his fault, since there was only so much one man could do against an entire army. Still, he wished that he could've at least saved a few more Elves.

"You did all you could." The ranger told him softly. "I'm just surprised you survived for as long as you did."

"I've been through worse."

Sylvanas was about to comment when she heard the rustling of leaves in the distance. "We shouldn't linger here, the undead are probably close by." She then took a few steps forward. "Come on, I know where we can go."

He nodded once again, having no problems letting her take the lead. Before leaving though he extended his hand. "I'm Link, by the way."

_'What a strange name for an Elf.' _The Ranger General thought to herself as she shook his hand. "I'm Sylvanas Windrunner, the Ranger General of Silvermoon."

_'So this is the Sylvanas they kept talking about.' _It actually left the Hero of Time a little speechless. Here he was speaking with the leader of Quel'Thalas. The fact that he had just saved her moments ago was also a little crazy.

"Hey, are you coming or not?" She shouted back to him.

He blinked twice before shaking his head. The Hylian then ran after her.

* * *

Arthas took a moment to scour the battlefield, looking to see if anyone had survived the onslaught. It seemed that his army had done its job. There didn't appear to be any Elves left alive. Just then he heard rubble being moved. He turned towards the source and noticed a female High Elf pushing debris off of herself. He smirked as he headed over to her.

Anarial couldn't feel her legs. Her entire body ached, and she was sure that almost all of her bones were broken. The Elf looked on in horror as the leader of the invasion walked over to her. She wanted to fight but she couldn't. And once he was close enough she started to shake violently. "P-please, sp-spare me."

"Sorry, but I can't leave any of you alive." He told her darkly as he pointed the tip of his blade at her.

The High Elf knew the end was coming. This was it. _'Link, I'm sorry. I never got to tell you...' _All thoughts stopped when her heart was pierced by the unholy blade.

Arthas removed his blade from her body before raising her remains. He watched with a smirk as the former Elf turned into one of his minions. With that done he began plotting his next move. Obviously he had to go deeper into the Elven lands. The problem was he had no idea which was to go. It didn't really matter though, all he had to do was find the closest Elven village and go from there.

The only potential problem was the warrior in green. The man who had not only proven himself capable of fighting off his army, but also escaped to fight another day. The Death Knight had a strong feeling that he would see him again. When that would happen he had no idea, but it was inevitable. Yet even with that he knew he didn't need to worry. In the end he would fall, just like every other worthless Elf.

He laughed before noticing a floating green orb in the sky. He stared at it for a few moments before shrugging it off.

* * *

Alright, it's done. The moment you all waited for finally came, and I hope it lived up to expectations. This was my first time writing a huge battle scene(one that wasn't DBZ styled), but I think I got it down, and don't worry there will be plenty more action in the future. Even though Link is an extraordinary fighter even he can't fight off a huge invasion force, especially with necromancers making more soldiers. Also Link had no way of knowing what the names of those skeletons were, hence why he kept referring to them as Stalfos and Stalchildren. Link finally met Sylvanas and the two are on the run. What will happen next, stay tuned to find out! RandR and have a wonderful day!

FutureShock


	9. The Elf Gate

Chapter Nine: The Elf Gate

Link and Sylvanas slowly made their way through the dense forests of Quel'Thalas. There was a path, but due to the hasty escape they weren't near it. Instead they had to navigate around all the trees and other plant life. It wasn't that difficult, but it would have been easier if they actually had a road to travel on. None the less they navigated through the dense forests.

As they walked the Hylian took note of his surroundings, trying to spot any dangers that might be around the corner. He noticed that Sylvanas was doing the same as well. Now that they weren't in immediate danger he thought more about her. She was essentially the ruler of Quel'Thalas, and yet she came to the battlefield. She clearly wasn't a typical ruler as he knew Zelda wouldn't have done something like that. It made him impressed that she would throw herself into battle, even when she probably didn't have too.

He then shook his head lightly before ducking underneath a low hanging branch. "So where are we going?"

"Lovinar." She answered while moving some branches from her face. "It's a village located next to the Elf Gate to inner Quel'Thalas. If Arthas wants to get to Silvermoon he'll have to go through that gate."

The Hylian nodded.

The two of them had been wandering around for hours, and they hadn't come across any Elven villages. He supposed it was a good thing, in a sense anyway. The Hero of Time figured Arthas would likely be heading to any and all Elven towns, and once he reached one it was sure to be Foreithel all over again.

"There are more villages in this region, right?"

"Yes."

"Are they well fortified?" He asked, already having a feeling he knew the answer.

Sylvanas stopped and turned to face him. "No more so than Foreithel was." She looked into his eyes again, and it was as if he asked her a question without even speaking. "Even if we were to go to those towns there wouldn't be much we could do, and that's if Arthas hasn't already gotten to some of them." The Ranger General explained sadly.

Link looked down to the ground, all the while clenching his fists tight. He hated feeling useless, and the fact that hundreds of Elves were going to die and there was nothing he could do.

Seeing the sadness washing over him the High Elf placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It pains me too that we can't save them, but we shouldn't despair. Once we reach the Elf Gate we'll make sure we're ready this time. Trust me Link, Arthas won't get away with any of this!"

He glanced up at her and noticed her warm smile, which filled him with hope. In return he smiled softly.

"Good, now then, we should be getting close." Sylvanas continued walking forward.

Following her, the Hero of Time noticed that the huge thicket of trees they were walking through was starting to clear up a bit. It would certainly make traveling easier, as well as quicken their pace.

"Damn!"

_'Or not.' _The Hylian thought to himself as he stood next to the Elf.

The reason why they were stopped was because a gigantic boulder was blocking their path, having fallen from a nearby cliff side. It was already a narrow passage to begin with, but now there was no way through. And if they wanted to continue they would have to go around.

"This was the only shortcut, without it we'll have to go all the way around." The Ranger General cursed at their bad luck.

Despite his partner's reaction Link wasn't fazed. Sure, the path was blocked, but he could easily take care of it. There were a few options for him, but one stood out from the others. And so, with his plan in mind he walked towards the boulder.

Sylvanas saw what her partner was doing, and she couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "Link, you don't have to prove anything to me. There's no way you... can..." Her jaw practically fell to the floor when she saw him lift that gigantic boulder, which was several times his size. Her shock would only grow when he casually tossed it behind him.

A loud boom echoed throughout the forest as the boulder collided with the ground, smashing it into pieces. The ground shook heavily and it nearly made the High Elf lose her balance.

When everything settled the Hero of Time turned to face her. "The way's clear." He noted with a slight smirk.

Too dumbfounded to move, she could only really utter a simple word. "How?"

He held up his hands and showed her the back of them. "These are the Golden Gauntlets. They increase my strength and allow me to lift or push really heavy objects."

She stared at them curiously. While she had heard of some magical gauntlets increasing strength, she never imagined just how strong they could make someone. Of course, she hadn't seen what kind of strength he possessed on his own, but that was kind of a moot point.

"We should get going." Link told her as he started towards the re-opened pathway.

Shaking her head, Sylvanas followed after him.

* * *

After establishing a base camp at the recently destroyed Elven town, Arthas set out further into Quel'Thalas. Getting into the land had been easy enough, as well as taking down the first line of defense, but now he had to keep going. In order to reach Silvermoon he had to get past the Elf Gate, wherever that was. He wasn't worried about finding it though, as it would only be a matter of time before he found it. After all, he just needed to move from one Elven town to the next.

And so he rode on his undead mount, bringing a large portion of his army with him. As he traveled his thoughts wandered back to the man in green. The Death Knight couldn't describe it, but he felt some kind of holy presence from him. That man wasn't ordinary, and everything he saw him do proved that point. Had it not been for his army being able to essentially regenerate he was sure that man would have won the battle for the Elves.

These thoughts lingered before he shook his head. Sure, that man was impressive, but he wasn't too worried. If he did meet the man again, which he had a feeling he would, then he would simply kill him along with all the other worthless Elves. All the skill in the world wouldn't save him from the power of the dead itself.

Eventually Arthas saw something in the distance, and judging by the tall buildings it was another Elven town. He stopped when he could see the town entirely in the horizon. From the looks of it it was no more guarded than the first one, which meant it was right for the taking. So, with a simple command he lead his army into battle.

He grinned as his forces neared the unsuspecting Elves. Much like last time he would take them by complete surprise, and then it would only be a matter of time before they were all a part of his undead legion.

* * *

Thanks to removing the giant boulder Link and Sylvanas made it to Lovinar fairly quickly, more so than if they had gone around. When they arrived they were both relieved that Arthas hadn't reached the town first. That meant that they could get the village prepared for the inevitable siege.

Several guards came running up to the two, unsure who was coming. Two strangers emerging from the forest was a little suspicious. "You two, stop right where you... Sylvanas?" They all paused when it became clear that one of them was indeed Sylvanas Windrunner.

"I didn't expect a welcoming party." She said with amusement.

On instinct all three guards got down on one knee. "Forgive us milady, we didn't know it was you."

The Ranger General merely smiled at them. "That's alright. I'll admit, my entrance was rather sudden and unexpected."

Now standing, the guards looked their leader in eyes. "Why are you here and not in Silvermoon, is there danger?" A female swordsman asked.

"Unfortunately yes." She told them, making them gasp. "I will explain everything, but first my friend is in need of assistance."

They had been so preoccupied with their leader they failed to notice the man in green standing next to her. By the looks of it he had just been in a fight, but his injuries didn't seem too serious. And if there were any serious injuries, he certainly didn't show it.

After a few moments one of them spoke up. "Of course milady, I'll get him to a healer right away." He saluted before heading towards the Arcane Sanctum.

Link started to follow but stopped. He then glanced back at his companion.

"Don't worry Link, I'll find you after I get the village up to speed." She assured.

Nodding, he followed the Elven man. He spared a glance back and saw Sylvanas walking away with the other guards. The Hero of Time then returned his focus to where he was going. In the distance he could make out another Arcane Sanctum, and it was just as impressive as the one in Foreithel.

The guard continued walking forward before taking another look at the man he was escorting. There was something about him that had the archer's interest, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Maybe it was his Elven yet strangely human appearance, maybe it was his stoic face, or it could have been the funny looking hat. Although, he reasoned it was because he had been traveling with Sylvanas Windrunner!

A little more walking and the duo arrived at the Sanctum. The man led the slightly injured warrior up the steps and into the building, where they noticed a priest walking by. "Excuse me?"

The priest stopped and looked towards the two. "Greetings warriors, how can I help you?" She asked with a warm smile.

"This man has a few injuries, can you help him?"

She walked over to the green clad man and inspected his body. After doing so she smiled yet again. "It's nothing serious, so it shouldn't take me long."

The guard bowed. "Thank you." He then turned to face Link. "I must go see what Sylvanas wants, but don't worry, you'll be fine here."

Link nodded in thanks, and then watched as the man left.

"Is what he said true, is Sylvanas really here?" She questioned.

He nodded.

That made the priest's already bright smile even brighter. "Something truly special must have happened for her to come and pay us a visit."

The Hylian glanced down at the ground, not wanting to tell her the real reason. Plus he figured she would find out soon enough.

She then grabbed one of his arms. "Here follow me." The priest began leading him through the Sanctum. In order to properly heal him she needed a place to work, and the main lobby just wasn't the right place. Luckily there were rooms for that specific purpose.

A few minutes later they arrived at a healing room. "Have a seat on that bed over there." She instructed.

He did as told and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Now, I'll need you to take off your clothes so I can check all of your body."

His face went red at the command. "My body is fine, the chain mail underneath my clothes protected me." The Hero of Time answered.

She did another inspection and realized that he was right. The fact that she didn't realize that at first made her feel silly, but she didn't spend too much time thinking about. "Okay. Well, then I guess all I really need to heal is this nasty cut."

Link nodded in agreement.

Moving closer to him she let out a deep breath. Once close enough she raised her hand and focused her power, making her palm start glowing gold. A few moments later she brought it to his cheek. As soon as her hand made contact with his face a bright light was emitted. The light lasted for several moments before it faded.

"There, that should do it." She smiled.

Bringing a hand to his cheek he touched it and felt no blood, no kind of scar. A gasp escaped his mouth before a small smile graced his face. "Thank you." That cut wasn't really bothersome, but he knew that it would have gotten worse if he just left it un-healed.

"You're welcome. But you should be more careful out there, the woods of Quel'Thalas aren't as safe as they used to be."

_'You have no idea.' _He then gave one last nod before turning around and leaving the room.

_'Whoever he was, he sure was cute.'_

Link quickly sprinted through the halls and navigated back to the entrance, and luckily the route was rather simple. What took a couple minutes of walking was reduced to less than one thanks to his speed. He didn't have to rush, but figured he needed to get back to Sylvanas as quickly as possible.

Once outside he paused for a moment and searched around, seeing if he could spot her. As he suspected he couldn't find her. So, he started to think where the meeting with the guards could be taking place, and he instantly thought of either the Barracks, or the Town Hall. And since the Barracks was closer he decided to go there first.

* * *

"The undead..."

Sylvanas had gathered as many top ranking military officials in the Barracks and told them the horrible news. They had all been shocked to hear that the once peaceful land of Quel'Thalas had been invaded, and by the undead no less. The Ranger General explained how Foreithel had been laid to waste, and the only survivor was Link.

"B-but how?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but something happened in Northrend that turned Arthas into an unholy demon." She stated sourly.

A female captain put a hand to her chin. "We may have lost Foreithel, but if we can stop the undead it won't matter." She then turned towards her superior. "How many forces did he have?"

"The exact amount is unknown, but it is somewhere in the hundreds." A silence washed over the meeting. "Unfortunately, Arthas can raise the dead, so he can increase his forces with our fallen troops. And if he comes across more villages his armies will only increase."

An older man let out a deep sigh. "What can we do? We only have one hundred, to maybe one hundred fifty troops, and some of them are just recruits."

Another warrior slammed his fists into the table in a fit of rage. "Damnit! What are we going to do? Even with our Towers we can't defend against such a massive force." He would have continued raging but kept his cool in front of the Ranger General.

Despite the grim situation Sylvanas had a slight smirk on her face. "We may still have a chance." She offered, catching everyone's attention. "Remember Link, the survivor of the Foreithel attack? Well, he may just be the key to our victory."

"How so?" The female captain asked.

"I didn't see him in battle, but he has to have some skill to last that long. Plus, he has quite the strange arsenal, such as some kind of bizarre grappling chain, and boots that allow him to walk on air!"

Everyone looked at her with slight confusion.

"The point is, with him on our side we still have some hope."

After another slight pause the oldest man spoke up. "Well... at this point all we can do is prepare." He then turned towards Sylvanas. "We will get our troops up to speed and ready, as well as fortify the defenses."

She nodded. "And I will speak with Link and get a feel for his abilities. Meeting dismissed." The High Elf saluted them and they returned it.

With the news delivered she left the meeting room and was now on a course to find Link. What she had heard from Lovinar's military officials was troubling, but she didn't let it get to her. If they were going to survive they needed to remain calm and focus. Just because things looked bleak didn't mean there wasn't any hope at all.

"Slyvanas!"

Glancing to her right revealed the person she was looking for was coming to her. "There you are."

He stopped right in front her.

The High Elf looked at him and noticed the cut on his cheek was gone. "I see you're all healed up. That's good, we'll need you at your best for when the undead arrive."

"How long before they get here?" He asked, hoping she would have some sort of answer.

"It could be hours, or maybe even days depending on if they find the shortcut."

Just then a rumbling was heard, and it was coming from the Hylian's stomach. It had been a while since his last meal, and even though he could usually last a while without eating he was still pretty hungry. And all that wandering through the forest didn't help much.

A light chuckle escaped the Ranger General's lips. "Well it won't do any good to fight on an empty stomach, so how about you and I get something to eat?"

Link looked at her slightly puzzled.

"It's nothing like that, consider it my way of thanking you for saving me back there." She smiled, making him smile lightly in return. "Besides, there are some things I want to ask you."

He already had a feeling as to what she wanted to ask, so he merely nodded in return.

* * *

Arthas stood in the center of the battlefield, casually observing all of the destruction his minions had caused. The first Elven village had gone down easily enough, and all of the pitiful Elves quickly joined his ranks. After that he wasted no time in continuing his search for the Elf Gate, which led him to yet another town.

It quickly became apparent that places outside of Silvermoon weren't nearly as fortified, as the only real defense the villages had were a few guard towers and some average foot soldiers. It didn't really concern him though, in fact it made things easier for him. Sieging Silvermoon wasn't going to be easy, but so long as he had a huge army he was confident that the city would fall.

The Death Knight was now mounted on his undead steed, ready to move out.

A nearby necromancer walked over to his master. "My lord, we are ready to move out."

"Good." He then whipped the horse and it moved forward, and soon after his undead legions followed after him. _'It'll only be a matter of time before I find that Elf Gate, and then nothing will prevent me from reaching Silvermoon!'_

* * *

Kalanas hummed a little tune as he wiped down the counter. Running an inn could be tiring at times, but he enjoyed every moment of it. Providing food, water, and shelter to those who needed it was a reward by itself, of course the gold they payed was also welcome. Life was rather simple, and the only excitement came from the stories of the people who stayed at his inn.

So imagine his surprise when a certain someone walked into his inn. "Lady Sylvanas Windrunner!" He nearly knocked over a nearby glass because of his surprise.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you." She greeted.

He had no idea why she of all people was here in his inn, and he only hoped it wasn't bad. "W-what b-brings you to my i-inn?"

"My friend and I are in need of a good meal, and I figured this was a good place to go."

"O-of course, milady. I'd be happy to serve you." The innkeeper walked out from behind the counter. "P-please follow me."

The duo followed him to a nearby table and each took a seat.

As soon as they were settled he bowed to them. "I'll be right back with some drinks, and I'll bring you the finest meal I can prepare."

The Ranger General smiled at him. "Thank you."

Link nodded in thanks.

Once he was gone the High Elf turned towards her companion. "I hope you don't mind, but there are some questions I would like to ask you."

He had a feeling he knew what she was going to ask, and he nodded.

"Where are you from? Your appearance is Elven yet human at the same time."

Link let out a sigh. "I'm not from this world." His answer shocked her, but she said nothing. He took that as a sign to continue. "I'm from Hyrule."

Just then the innkeeper came by, holding two glasses of water in his hands. "Here we are." He placed them onto each side of the table. "Your food will be ready shorty."

"Thank you." Sylvanas told him as he walked away. "So... you're from another world entirely, but how did you get here?"

"Some kind of magical tornado." The Hero of Time answered.

Sylvanas paused for a moment. She looked at him and saw that he was telling the truth. It wasn't that she doubted him, but it sounded pretty crazy. After a few moments she spoke up. "So were you some kind of knight or warrior back home?"

He once again let out a sigh, knowing this would be a long talk. "I think you should know exactly who I am. I'm no ordinary man, I'm the Hero of Time."

And so he went into every detail about his life. He started, obviously, with growing up in Kokiri Forest and how the Great Deku Tree called upon him to defeat the evil inside of it. After doing so he received the Spiritual Stone of the Forest and told to go visit the princess in Hyrule Castle. After entering through a secret entrance and sneaking past the guards he reached Princess Zelda, who informed him of an evil man name Ganondorf and his plans to get the Triforce. He was also told to gather the Spiritual Stones of Fire and Water.

With his mission given to him he set out for Death Mountain. Making it to Goron City, he asked their leader Darunia for the stone, who would only give it to him if he cleared Dodongo's Cavern of the all the Dodongos. Entering the Cavern, as well as navigating through the surprising amount of puzzles had been easy enough, but fighting King Dodongo was a bit of a challenge. Once King Dodongo had been beaten Daruni had given him the stone, and called him a Sworn Brother.

Next came the Zoras of Zora's River, who weren't as stubborn as the Gorons. Instead of simply getting the stone he ended up going on a rescue mission inside of Lord Jabu Jabu to find the missing Princess Ruto... which was very unpleasant. Unfortunately, Ruto wasn't cooperating, and demanded to be carried. After a long, somewhat disgusting journey, Link defeated the evil parasite Barinade and saved Jabu Jabu. His reward for doing so was the Spiritual Stone, which also turned out to be an engagement ring of the Zoras. And the price of marrying Ruto was worth it... besides, there's no way she would actually hold him to that.

Once he had all the stones he went back to Hyrule Castle, and to his horror it was in flames. He didn't even get a chance to enter the market as Zelda and her attendant Impa came riding past. Things only got worse when Ganondorf came riding by. Link tried to act brave, but in the end he was taken down easily by the evil man. Luckily, Zelda threw the Ocarina of Time, a sacred item of the Royal Family, into the moat for Link to retrieve. Upon doing so he learned the Song of Time, which would allow him to get the legendary Master Sword.

Unfortunately, he was too young to wield the Master Sword, and so his body was kept in the Sacred Realm for seven long years. Once old enough he was woken up by the Sage Rauru, who informed him of what happened while asleep. He was then told to awaken the Five other sages and save the land. He was then returned to the Temple of Time, where he met Sheik. Sheik also filled him in on what he missed and told him where all the Sages were.

Now the Hero of Time, he set out to awaken all the Sages. He first went to Kokiri Forest, and into the Lost Woods to the Forest Temple. Inside the Forest Temple he defeated a Phantom version of Ganondorf, and saved the Sage Saria, who was his friend from childhood.

After that he went to Goron City and learned that the evil dragon Volvagia was revived and causing trouble for the Gorons. After getting a Goron Tunic he ventured into the Fire Temple, where he met Darunia who informed him of how the Megaton Hammer could defeat the dragon. Once he found it he fought Volvagia and defeated him, thus saving another Sage.

Before heading to the Water Temple he first went back to Zora's Domain, more specifically, Zora's Fountain. Gone was Jabu Jabu and instead a bunch of ice chunks and frigid water. He went into the Ice Cavern and got the Iron Boots, which would allow him to walk underwater. And thanks to the Blue Fire he received he was able to free the Zora King from his red-ice prison, and in return he got a Zora Tunic allowing him to breath underwater.

Now he was ready for the Water Temple, which was located in Lake Hylia. The temple was a little confusing, what with him needing to raise and lower the water multiple times, but with time he figured it out. At one point he fought Dark Link, an evil version of himself, and after beating him he received the Longshot, a much better version of his Hookshot. Thanks to the Longshot he was able to make it to Morpha, the nucleus that could control water. After beating Morpha he saved both Lake Hylia and Zora's Domain, and got the Water Medallion from Ruto(who hadn't forgotten their deal).

For the Shadow and Spirit Temples he needed to go back and forth through time, as there were certain places he could only explore as either a child or an adult. That was after having to sneak around the Gerudo Fortress, as well as learning a song he apparently played seven years before he even knew it. For all his hard work he did receive the Lens of Truth(which allowed him to see hidden things), the Hoover Boots, the Mirror Shield(which can deflect light and magical attacks), and the Silver Gauntlets which increased his strength.

Once all the Sages had been saved he met Sheik in the Temple of Time, who revealed himself to actually be Princess Zelda in disguise, as to hide from Ganondorf. It was also revealed that the two of them each had a piece of the Triforce, he had Courage and she had Wisdom. After getting the Light Arrows from Zelda she was captured by Ganondorf and taken to his castle, but not before challenging him to a battle there. Once he arrived at the former Hyrule Castle the Sages made a bridge for him to cross, and then he was able to enter the castle.

Before confronting Ganondorf he had to make it through the trials, which were similar to the puzzles in all the Temples. And at one point he found the Golden Gauntlets, which increased his strength much more than the Silver Gauntlets. And once he had beaten the trials he ascended Ganon's Tower and went on to face Ganondorf.

The battle had been tough, but in the end he triumphed and defeated the Gerudo King and saved Zelda. But with his last bit of power he made the Tower collapse, forcing the two heroes to escape. They just barely made it, and it seemed like everything had worked out... but Ganondorf survived. He then used the Triforce of Power to transform into the huge pig monster Ganon, who was a lot tougher to beat. After another hard fought battle, and with the help of Zelda, he defeated Ganon. And when the Sages sealed him up that was the end of it.

After that battle things started returning to normal for Hyrule, and reconstruction of the old Hyrule Castle had gone smoothly. Link pitched in when he could, but when he wasn't helping them he was off wandering Hyrule, helping those that needed it. At one point, after leaving Kakariko he saw a huge tornado, which sucked him right up. The rest was history.

"Wow..." Was all Sylvanas could reply. She had listened intently to his tale, even when there was delicious food in front of her. She just couldn't find the words. He had been through so much, and had done things she never could imagine.

Link took another bite of bread before downing more of his water.

"So you're a hero chosen by the gods who had to stop a great evil, which involved traveling through time?!"

"Pretty much."

The High Elf whistled somewhat loudly. "Amazing." Her suspicions about him being a great warrior were now proven correct, although she may have under sold him. There were so many questions, and one seemed more prevalent than the others. "What was it like suddenly becoming an adult? That must have been weird."

"It was at first, but after a little while I got used to it." He explained casually.

"It is a little sad though, how you never got to live out your childhood."

He merely shrugged. "I didn't exactly have it easy in Kokiri Forest, because I didn't have a fairy. Sure, it would have been nice to just be a normal kid, but fate had other plans for me. I may not have liked it, but I am the Hero of Time, and I had to do what was needed for Hyrule."

Sylvanas nodded. She knew full well about sacrifice and doing what was best for the world. "Well, I guess it all worked out then." She said with a small smile.

The Hylian raised an eyebrow.

"We might not even be here if it wasn't for you. I know it's not ideal that you're stuck here, but I also know that you'll do some good for this world." The High Elf told him as she placed a caring hand over his.

At first he was a little uncomfortable with the sudden touch, but he then looked at her smiling face and could only smile in return. What she said was the truth. He may have been stuck in a different world, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try and save it.

Not a moment later an archer came running into the inn. "Milady! The undead are here!"

Hearing that made her heart skip a beat.

Link gasped loudly.

"No... they can't be here already. It should have taken days at the most!" Sure the story she sat through was long, but it didn't take days to finish.

"Come on, we have to go!" The guard instantly ran out of the inn.

Forcing the panic and slight fear away Sylvanas bolted up from her seat. "Well Link, it's time to do some good for this world. Are you ready?"

He was already standing. "Yes."

* * *

The Elven Defenders stood at the ready as they watched the oncoming undead legion. Thanks to the early warning from Sylvanas they were able to properly prepare for the inevitable strike. All soldiers, either on or off duty, had been summoned and told to get ready. Archers got into their Towers, and the High Elven Guard Towers had been activated.

All civilians had been told to stay in their homes, as to not get caught in the battle. They were all terrified but complied with the soldiers. Of course, they shouldn't really have been afraid with the Elven Defenders around, but an assault from the undead was something new.

Link and Sylvanas ran toward the front lines, and there they saw the oncoming army in the horizon. They couldn't see every single skeleton, but they knew there were a lot of them.

"Milady!" A nearby captain walked over and saluted at her superior. "It is good to see you."

"Likewise." She returned the gesture.

"All civilians are safely in their homes, and all guards are at their positions."

The Ranger General nodded. "Good, we have to do everything in our power to stop the undead." She then turned to Link. "You stay here at the front, I'll be in the back with the archers."

He nodded as he drew his sword and shield.

"LOOK OUT!"

Without warning a giant boulder soared through the air, aimed straight for the soldiers on the front line. Despite the warning about a handful of guards couldn't get out of the way in time, and as such they had been crushed by the giant projectile.

A couple more boulders were launched, but these were aimed at the defensive structures. One Guard Tower was taken down, while another one was still partially in tact. The other had been missed entirely.

Shortly after hundreds of undead started pouring into the town. Ghouls and Skeletal Warriors charged in first, while undead archers and Necromancers stayed in the back. Acolytes slowly pushed the Meat Wagons forward, in order to get close enough to take down the rest of the Towers.

Arthas hung back a bit, letting his minions go in first. It wasn't that he was worried he would perish, he just figured it was easier to send in the 'cannon fodder' first. Besides, if his troops fell he could easily bring them back.

On the other side the High Elves met the army with their own. Swordsmen stood in the front, their shields raised high. Way behind them were the archers, rangers, and mages, providing support from afar. Priests were also far away, but not so much that they couldn't heal any wounded soldiers on the front lines.

The two forces clashed and an all out brawl ensued. Swords met shields, claws met armor, and skill met savagery. Arrows and magical blasts flew through the air, hitting anything that got in the way. It was total chaos.

High Elven Guard Towers did their part in unleashing orbs of magic at the far away undead troops, and due to their nature they would keep firing until taken down.

At first the Elves were doing a good job of holding off the Scourge, but the sheer amount of undead made it hard to keep doing so. They were taking down a good amount of them, but they were losing just as much. And they didn't have the luxury of reviving their fallen comrades, at least not as easily anyway.

"Hold your ground, we can't let them through!"

Link was slashing the Master Sword like crazy, cutting through the Stalfos and Stalchildren like butter. He was trying to fight his way through but whenever he cut down some skeletons several more took their place. Yet that didn't deter him. The Hylian could keep on fighting until the end.

One poor swordsman was struck in the face with an arrow, taking him down quickly. Another soldier got slashed across the face by a Ghoul, and unfortunately his eyes had been cut, rendering him sightless.

Slowly the High Elves started to fall back, but they still kept on battling while doing so.

The Hero of Time also fell back a bit, but only to try something else. When he was far enough away he stuck his blade into the ground and reached into his Bomb Bag. He pulled out a Bomb and tossed it at the undead army. He couldn't see where it landed, but it didn't matter.

After a few seconds a loud boom resonated throughout the battlefield, and dozens of undead forces were sent flying in nearly every direction. It literally started raining bones on everyone.

Every Elf took a moment to stare at the green clad warrior, having not expected him to be carrying explosives. They only stared for a few seconds before returning focus to the battle.

Sylvanas was also awestruck at what she had seen. _'Those Bombs really pack a punch, they're very useful.' _The Ranger General then shuck her head before nocking another arrow and firing it at a nearby Ghoul.

More boulders were launched via the Meat Wagons, and one of the huge projectiles managed to bring down a High Elven Guard Tower. The other hit a simple home, killing the people that were inside.

Link had returned to the fray, attacking any nearby undead warriors. One Stalfos tried to slice his head off, but he blocked the blade with his Hylian Shield. He then knocked his arm away before slicing him in two. Another tried to catch him off guard, but thanks to his reflexes he was able to quickly dispatch of him.

An arrow came whizzing by and struck the Hylian in the shoulder, making him stop. It hadn't gone too deep, thanks to his chain mail, but he could definitely feel it. Ignoring the pain he ripped it out and tossed it into a nearby Stalchild. He had little time to celebrate as a green bolt of magic came right at him. He raised his shield in time to block it, right as he felt something claw at his back.

A Ghoul tried to catch the warrior off guard, but only managed to get itself killed.

The Elven Defenders fought hard, but the sheer amount of Scourge forces made it very hard to continue. It didn't help that more and more of them kept popping up every few moments. When one of their own died that just gave the enemy a free troop.

Archers tried to take down the Necromancers, but it was hard to get a good shot amidst the chaos. It also didn't help that they were constantly worrying about enemy projectiles. Such as the giant boulders, or dead bodies, being launched at them.

More and more buildings were destroyed, and without any Ballistas the Elves were unable to take down the Scourge Catapults. All of their Towers had been taken down, and farms and houses had been smashed.

Link unleashed a Spin Attack, defeating a ton of enemies within his range. He took a good look around and noticed the odds weren't in their favor. Realizing the situation the Hero of Time went into 'overdrive'. By now he was practically thrusting himself into the legions of skeletons. He didn't worry about accuracy, instead just trying to slash his way through the offense.

Two wounded soldiers were being eaten alive by the Ghouls, screaming all the way. Others lost limbs, and some shot with arrows.

Sylvanas unleashed all of her arrows, and when she ran out she resorted to her twin Elven blades. She moved with both grace and agility, taking down the undead with ease. All of her Ranger training was certainly paying off.

Just then a loud scream echoed throughout the battlefield. While fighting Link didn't see the Death Coil until it was too late, and it smacked right into his chest. The air was knocked out of him and he was thrown backwards onto the ground. Pain was coursing through his body, and he struggled to stand up.

"Link!" The Ranger General yelled as she fought her way toward him.

One Scourge warrior tried to take advantage of the situation, but was met with a blast of Holy Light.

A nearby priest rushed to him, and it was ironically the one who healed him earlier. Once she reached him her hands were instantly glowing and she pressed them to his chest.

"How is he?"

She turned to see her leader next to her, and if it weren't for the current situation she would have been happy. "He'll be fine, I just need some time to heal him."

Sylvanas nodded before chopping the head off a Ghoul.

A mage fired an icy bolt at an oncoming warrior, right before another came by and chopped his head clean off.

After a few moments the Hylian was healed. He groaned as he sat up, and it was then he realized who had saved him. "It's you."

"Thank me later." Unfortunately later would never come as an arrow embedded itself into her skull. Blood poured down her face as she fell unceremoniously to the ground.

He gasped at the scene before his features hardened. Link stood up and gripped his weapon tight. Instantly he rejoined the battle as two Stalfos came at him. With his shield raised he blocked one blade, and he moved to the side to avoid the other. He then shoved one back before cutting the other into several pieces. He then cut the head off the first one.

At this point the High Elves were pushed back to the Elf Gate, and there was no way they could hold out forever. They all fought hard, but against such a force there was little they could do.

As much as Slyvanas wanted to stay and fight she knew when to cut her losses. From where she was she could see Scourge forces entering buildings, no doubt looking for helpless Elves to slaughter. "Shindu fallah Na! Fall back to the second gate! Fall back!" The Ranger General yelled out. She then noticed Link was still fighting. "Link, come on!"

He quickly dispatched of a Stalchild before glancing back at her. "But..."

"We can't hold them off, we have to go!"

Link didn't want to run, but at this point there was no point in staying. So, he relented and followed the fleeing High Elves. He quickly put his weapons away and pulled out a few Deku Nuts. The Hylian tossed them behind them in order to buy them more time.

The High Elves opened the gate and let everyone through, and thanks to Link they had a little more time. Once everyone was through they quickly shut it. They continued sprinting to the second gate.

Unfortunately the Elf Gate didn't last long against the might of the Scourge, and it was shortly taken down. Undead forces started spilling out of it, and followed their fleeing enemies.

Arthas was close to the front this time, and he couldn't help but smirk. "The Elf Gate as fallen! Onward, my warriors! Onward to victory!"

* * *

There we go. I'm sorry for the long wait, laziness will happen. I'm also sorry for including the summary of Ocarina of Time, which is why I tried to shorten it as much as I could. Even with the warning the Elves were no match for the huge undead army, and now Arthas has even more troops at his disposal. That's all for now, be sure to RandR and have a wonderful day!

FutureShock


	10. Key of the Three Moons

Chapter Ten: Key of the Three Moons

Word of Link's disappearance had spread all throughout Hyrule, even the Gerudo knew of it. It was heartbreaking to learn that the legendary Hero of Time was gone, and a lot of people chose not to believe it. There was no possible way the legendary hero chosen by the gods could be defeated, and he certainly wouldn't simply leave them. They wanted answers, but had no way of getting them.

Over time people started to move on, although it wasn't easy. There were many who had come to know him personally, and those were the ones who took it the hardest. At the very least Ganondorf had been defeated and sealed in the Sacred Realm, so there was no imminent danger. Besides, with Princess Zelda and the Sages they would probably be fine, even without the Hero of Time around.

There was one man though who knew something was odd. He had known Link since he was a child, although their meetings were usually brief. Still, the little boy he knew had grown up to become a noble hero, a hero who had saved all of Hyrule. It made no sense for him to leave, and there was little in the world that could defeat him. It was all puzzling, but he would get to the bottom of it.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he prepared for his journey. _'I don't know what happened to you hero, but I will find you.'_

* * *

Running as fast as they could, the fleeing High Elves made for the next gate. While they did have a good lead on the undead they knew that the first Elf Gate wouldn't hold out forever, especially with those damned Scourge Catapults. And once that fell it would only be a matter of time before the undead broke through the next one. Well, not if they had anything to say about it!

After every Elf made it past the gate the Elves instantly closed it, and then moved to fortify it.

Elves from a nearby village hadn't expected to see so many people coming through the gate, much less Sylvanas Windrunner.

"Make sure that gate will hold!" The Ranger General ordered.

One Elf approached his leader. "Lady Sylvanas Windrunner. We are honored by your presence, but what are you doing here?"

"The undead have invaded Quel'Thalas, and they've made it past the first Elf Gate." She told him.

"What?!"

Sylvanas nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. Which is why we must do everything we can to stop them!"

Link looked between her and the gate, which by the looks of it was getting assaulted. "They're about to break through, we have to go." He stated.

Suddenly the gate collapsed, killing those who had been trying to hold it up. Once the gate was gone legions of undead forces came pouring in, attacking any and all nearby Elves.

Seeing this made the recently escaped Elves panic, and they instantly ran for the nearby bridge.

Right as Link was about to fight he felt a hand upon his shoulder, and out of the corner of his eye he could see it was Sylvanas'.

"You can't take them all, we need to retreat!" As much as it pained her to do so, but right now there was little choice. And he would only get himself killed if he thrust himself recklessly into the fray.

The Hero of Time merely nodded as he headed in the direction of the fleeing Elves.

Shortly after the High Elf general followed. She reached the bridge and glanced behind herself, noticing that a few Elves weren't able to escape in time. It was hard to watch her people getting savagely murdered, but there would be time to avenge them later. "Fall back to the trees!" She yelled to the survivors.

Link stood back near the bridge, keeping an eye on his friend.

Arthas stopped his advance at the front of the bridge, now staring down the ranger woman.

"You've won through this gate, butcher, but you won't get through the second. The inner gate to Silvermoon can only be opened with a special key, and it shall never be yours!" She then looked toward the Hylian, and mouthed something to him.

"You waste your time, woman. You cannot outrun the inevitable."

A smirk came to the ranger's face. "You think that I'm running from you? Apparently you've never fought Elves before."

Not a moment later the Hero of Time pulled out a bomb and threw it at the bridge, and then he pulled out another and threw it near the other one. Both landed in the center before one was shot with an arrow, causing a big explosion. Once the smoke cleared all that remained was the ends of the bridge, making it impossible to cross.

Arthas grit his teeth. "Damn that woman! We must find a way to cross the river!" He yelled as he watched them leave.

The Death Knight then started to think about how to go about doing so. It was too far to the other side, and too deep, for him and his men to simply swim through. That, and also because the undead weren't known for their swimming. And since they had no way of repairing the bridge they would have to travel along the bank, and hopefully they would find another bridge or something they could use to get across.

With the plan in mind he turned his horse to the right and began riding in that direction, leaving his armies to trail him. As his horse took him along Arthas took note of his surroundings. Not surprisingly, it was mostly just trees, lots and lots of trees. It would probably be very easy to get lost, or a likely hiding place for the crafty Elves. One thing was for sure though, after bringing down Silvermoon he would do the same for all these trees.

Several minutes later and the Death Knight came across a surprising sight. It was an Elven village by the looks of it, except there weren't many buildings. Also, the few Elves that were there were trapped in webs, courtesy of giant spiders. By the looks of it, they were trapping the poor High Elves and consuming them.

"Hm, I didn't expect to find Crypt Fiends here." He noted as he led his army forward.

Slowly but surely the few buildings were brought down, and any resistance was taken care of. It was painfully easy, and considering what just happened at the Elf Gate that was saying something.

Apparently the Crpyt Fiends had been sent to aid Arthas in his quest to siege Silvermoon, and he was grateful for their aid. Considering they could use their webbing to ensnare their victims, grounded or flying, they would prove useful to him.

That was all well and good, but he still needed a way to cross the river. He walked around the area, trying to see if there was anyway to do so. Unfortunately there didn't appear to be any kind of bridge or land connecting the two sides. The Death Knight furrowed his brow, wondering what to do.

"Psst."

He turned and saw a Goblin standing near a building which didn't look Elven. Curious as to what the Goblin was doing in Quel'Thalas, and how he avoided the Elves, the undead walked over to him.

"I never thought I'd see any undead here, but I guess this world is full of surprises ain't it?"

"What do you want Goblin?!" Arthas demanded.

Sensing some hostility, the Goblin put his hands up defensively. "Whoa whoa whoa, hold on there. I only wanted to offer you some assistance." He said with a greedy grin.

Arthas cocked a brow. "What kind of assistance?"

"Well for a _small_ fee I can take you across the river on my zeppelin. What do ya say?"

The Death Knight pondered this for a moment. A zeppelin would be the best way of getting across the river, especially when there weren't any other options. Plus, money wasn't exactly a problem. "Alright Goblin, I'll hire you."

A big grin appeared on the Goblin's face. "Wonderful, now let me just-" He was cut off by a hand wrapping around his throat and being lifted off the ground.

"Just don't try anything funny, or else you'll you're going to regret it!" With the message delivered he tossed the Goblin on the ground and moved to get his forces.

As he walked he heard some rustling in a nearby bush. Feeling curious, the Death Knight walked over to it. Once he reached it he cleared away the shrubbery and noticed a cowering Elf. "Well what do we have here?" He grinned as he reached down and grabbed the man by his shirt.

"Please spare me!" The Elf pleaded.

"Sorry, but I'm not taking any prisoners." Arthas raised Frostmourne up, ready to kill the coward.

"WAIT! If you spare me I can help you get into Silvermoon!"

Hearing that made the Death Knight lower his blade slightly. His eyes locked with the Elf's. "What are you talking about?"

"You heard me, if you let me live I can show you the location of the Key of the Three Moons." He stated.

Arthas paused, considering the Elf's words. While he now had transportation he lacked the location of the Key of the Three Moons as the man called it, and while it wouldn't have been a problem tearing his way through Quel'Thalas to find them, that would have taken time. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"You're the one holding a sword to my face." The Elf said plainly.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the Death Knight tossed the High Elf to the ground. "Very well, but you better watch yourself. And if I find out you're lying to me I'll make sure your death is long and painful, understand?"

"Yes." He replied.

"Well come on, I haven't got all day!"

* * *

Link, Sylvanas, and the remaining High Elves had reached the small encampment known as An'owyn. Despite being rather small there were quite a number of guards around. The reason being that one of the Mooncrystals was kept here, for obvious safekeeping. It was a small settlement, but also out of the way. One would have to actively search for it to find it.

Several guards stationed outside of the camp noticed the Ranger General approaching and saluted her. "Greetings lady Sylvanas, it is always a pleasure."

She returned the salute. "Likewise, although I didn't come here to chat. The Mooncrystal, it is still here correct?"

Both men looked a little confused. "Of course milady, why wouldn't it?"

Sylvanas exhaled deeply. "The undead have come to Quel'thalas." She began, making them gasp. "The outer gate has fallen, and they're going to be coming after the three Mooncrystals next."

"They made it through the first gate?" One questioned.

"We tried to hold them off, but there were too many of them." Link added.

The Ranger General nodded at his statement. "We did temporarily stop them from progressing any further, but it will only be a matter of time before they resume their conquest. That's why we need to guard the Mooncrystals with our lives!"

They once again saluted. "You have our word that we will not let the undead get their hands on it!" They said in unison.

A small smile came to her face in response. "Thank you." She then turned to her new friend. "We should go to the other Mooncrystal locations and warn them of the undead threat."

Link nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now then, we'll leave these people with you. Make sure they're taken care of." She told them.

"Of course milady, we will ensure they are fed and looked after."

"Alright, it's time to go Link."

He once again nodded and proceeded to follow after her.

* * *

Arthas, his undead legions, and the traitorous Elf crossed the river successfully thanks to the Goblin's zeppelin. As soon as that obstacle was crossed the Death Knight began his search for the Mooncrystals, and thanks to his prisoner he would be able to locate every single one of them. The first location wasn't too far from where the the small encampment had been located. From a distance it didn't appear heavily guarded, but there were a good amount of guards present. It wasn't enough to stop him, but it would prove to be interesting... well, for a few moments anyway.

"Alright, go down there and kill all those Elves." He commanded.

Without hesitation the Scourge began charging at the small settlement, practically flooding the pathways. It didn't take them long to reach the band of Elves, and as soon as they did they began attacking.

Sure, there were a good amount of guards stationed there, not to mention the guards that Sylvanas dropped off... but they hadn't expected hundreds of undead to rush them all at once. They now began to understand how the undead had gotten into their land.

A fierce battle was now taking place right outside of the encampment. Every soldier was either on the front lines holding off the advance, or in the back firing volleys of arrows. Despite being outnumbered the High Elves stood firm, needing to protect the Mooncrystal at all cost!

Those on the front lines alternated quickly between offense and defense. Whenever they swiped with their sword, or took a stab, they would then bring up their shields. Luckily most of them were protected by heavy armor, but that could only do so much. Not to mention having to deal with the raw savagery that was the undead. Still, they pressed on, willing to do whatever it took to keep their lands safe.

"Keep fighting men, we can't let them through!" The captain yelled as he cut down a Ghoul.

One soldier was holding her own, until one of her arms was being yanked by a Ghoul. She lost her balance and concentration, resulting in her getting attacked by several more skeletons. Her armor was slowly torn apart, and once that was gone she started getting bitten profusely. Shortly after she was being eaten alive, with her screams of agony filling the area.

Those around her did their best to ignore the screams, as all of their focus was needed if they were going to repel the Scourge. Unfortunately, the High Elves weren't having much luck repelling the oncoming forces. In fact they were slowly but surely getting pushed back, back toward the settlement.

A Swordsman fought hard, cutting all the Ghouls and skeletons down that were in his path. He continued fighting before noticing he couldn't move his feet. Curious as to why he glanced down, only to notice the lower portion of his legs were trapped in some kind of web. Right as he was about to cut free he noticed a gigantic spider coming from the left. A shriek of terror escaped his lips as he watched the spider rear it's head up and bite his neck, injecting venom into his bloodstream. Things became worse as the undead began clawing and tearing away at him.

Archers in the back continued unleashing arrows upon their foes, not letting up for a second. They did their best, but it was becoming more and more difficult. Not to mention they also had to move out of the way of enemy arrows. Some had been able to successfully dodge the oncoming projectiles, but others weren't as fortunate. And those that did get hit ended up falling to the ground, either in pain or in death.

As time went on more and more Elven soldiers fell, and the already slim odds of victory were becoming even slimmer. And that wasn't counting the fact that the enemy could bring back their fallen troops, as well as create new ones out of dead Elves.

Soon enough Arthas decided to go in and have a little fun. The Death Knight entered the fray, making sure to keep some guards around his prisoner. Once at the front lines he began attacking the pitiful Elven Defenders. It was becoming clear that no one could stand up to Frostmourne, as his unholy blade struck down anyone foolish enough to get close.

Several moments passed and the Elven Defenders were reduced to merely a handful, and shortly after they were all wiped out. Dozens of corpses littered the battlefield, but they quickly joined the ranks of the Scourge.

With the defense taken care of Arthas headed toward the Altar, where the Mooncrystal was supposedly kept. He walked over and noticed a shining stone resting on top of the Altar. Grinning to himself, he walked over and seized the stone. "The first Mooncrystal." He muttered as he stowed it away in a bag he used to keep important items, such as the urn he procured from Uther.

Once he had what he was looking for he exited the Altar and headed back over to his prisoner, who appeared to be shaking. He couldn't blame him, seeing as how the Elf had just witnessed the bloody destruction of his people. "Let this serve as a reminder of what will happen if you try and betray me Elf!"

All the High Elf could do was nod slowly.

"Now come on, we have more Mooncrystals to collect."

* * *

"Let's rest here for a moment."

Sylvanas and her companion had been running nonstop for what felt like hours, even if less time had actually passed. That, coupled with the fact that they had recently been engaged in a tough fight against the Scourge, had worn them out. And while both had a lot of endurance even they needed to rest.

Link nodded before getting into a sitting position, leaning his back up against a nearby tree. A few deep breaths escaped his lips, signaling how worn out he truly was. As he sat he could also feel that his magic was getting low. It made sense though, seeing as just how many spells he had preformed. So, he reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of Green Potion. The Hylian removed the cork and started drinking, only stopping when he felt his magic return to him. After that he put the cork back in and put away the bottle.

Sitting nearby, the Ranger General let out a sigh. Everything that was happening was slowly catching up to her. The Scourge had entered Quel'Thalas, and in practically no time at all they ravaged her beautiful lands. The Outer Gate was gone, and that only left the Inner Gate as the final obstacle to Silvermoon. And although the Mooncrystals were guarded she still couldn't shake the bad feeling inside.

It was all just so... surreal. Sure her people had faced hardships in the past, and they were certainly no stranger to war, but this was something else. The enemy was parading through Quel'Thalas, and it was up to just the Elves to defend themselves. _'I guess the humans suffered a similar fate, otherwise they would have been here by now.' _That had to be the reason why no reinforcements had shown up, because there was no way the humans would have abandoned them... would they?

She glanced over at Link, who appeared to be deep in thought as well. "Are you alright?"

The Hero of Time slowly nodded.

"Well, we should get going if you're ready?" She asked.

He nodded once more before getting to his feet.

The High Elf did the same, and as soon as they were both standing they instantly started running. Warning those guarding the Mooncrystals was their priority, as just a little time to prepare was better than none at all. And hopefully, with that warning, the Elven Defenders would be able to successfully hold off the undead.

As they were running Link glanced over at his companion. "If Arthas gets this special key, what then?"

"Then nothing will prevent him from getting to Silvermoon." The thought had already occurred to her, as much as she didn't want to believe it was possible.

"Why is getting to Silvermoon so important to him?" He questioned.

Sylvanas actually had to think about that one as she didn't have an answer. Part of her assumed the Death Knight just wanted to slaughter her people and remove a possible threat to the Scourge, but another assumed there was some sort of ulterior motive. As to what that was, she had no clue. "Your guess is as good as mine, but we shouldn't worry about that. If we can prevent him from getting the Mooncrystals we won't need an answer."

Seeing as how he didn't know either, and because so much of this world was still strange to him, he accepted her answer. Perhaps if they had more time, and more information on Arthas, they could ascertain what exactly he was after. That sadly wasn't the case, so all they could do was continue fighting his forces until they were all gone.

* * *

Arthas removed Frostmourne from the body of another Elven soldier, watching with a smirk as their body fell helplessly to the ground. It hadn't taken him and his forces long to reach the next Mooncrystal location, and once he had he instantly attacked. Much like the last time the Elves tried in vain to fight off his undead legion, but it just wasn't enough.

The Death Knight took a few steps forward before chopping the head off of a Mage. He then unleashed a Death Coil at an unsuspecting archer, knocking them to the ground and leaving them at the mercy of several Ghouls.

One brave Swordsman rushed the traitorous prince, hoping to strike him down quickly. Once close enough he thrust his sword forward, attempting to stab his enemy directly in the face. Unfortunately, his weapon was knocked out of his hand, shocking him. Before he could hope to react the tip of the unholy blade pierced through his armor, hitting him right in the heart.

After removing the blade the Death Knight surveyed the battlefield, noting that the last of the High Elf resistance was being wiped out. With no one standing in his way he headed toward the Altar. Much like last time the Mooncrystal was in plain sight, and it was easily obtainable. "The second Mooncrystal is mine, only one left."

With the Mooncrystal safely stored next to the other one he left the Altar. He then went over to his prisoner. "Thanks to you nothing will stop me from reaching Silvermoon, of course I still need one more Mooncrystal to get through the Inner Gate."

"W-Well I will show you where it is, follow me." And so the traitorous High Elf led Arthas and the Scourge toward the location of the final Mooncrystal. Did he feel bad about betraying his homeland and his people... perhaps just a bit. However, his desire to live overruled any negative thoughts, and as such he felt that justified his actions.

The journey to An'daroth, the final Mooncrystal location, was somewhat long, but no more so than what they had just done. Luckily for Arthas he had a horse to travel on, and his minions didn't seem to tire easily. His prisoner may have more prone to tiring out, but it was nothing a little prodding couldn't fix. There wasn't any kind of resistance either, aside from a small High Elven encampment... but they were quickly dealt with. Other than that there weren't any kind of obstacles or resistance. The Death Knight figured that any possible resistance would be found at his next destination.

His mind then began wondering what would await him after getting past the Inner Gate. He had only been to Silvermoon once, and that was a very long time ago. While he was sure things didn't change that much he wasn't sure exactly what to expect. It probably didn't help that the nature of his visit was more hostile now, and instead of visiting as a prince of Lordaeron he was going to level the city and use the Sunwell to revive Kel'Thuzad.

It was then that he noticed a civilization in the distance, which had to be the last location. A devilish smirk came to his face as he looked upon the unsuspecting encampment. Judging by the small size, and the amount of guards present, taking the Mooncrystal would be easy. It didn't really surprise him though, as the High Elves most likely had no idea he was coming. Even if they did though they wouldn't have much time to prepare, much less summon reinforcements.

Once in range the Death Knight gave the command, sending his armies forward. He watched with satisfaction was they rushed to kill the pitiful Elven warriors. While it appeared that the High Elves had been aware that the Scourge had been coming it wasn't going to be enough to save them.

Much like last time, Arthas went in with his troops. The sooner he killed the Elves, the sooner he retrieved the final Mooncrystal, and the sooner he could reach Silvermoon. And any Elven forces that challenged him were quickly cut down by his unholy blade, and after that their corpses were raised in order to join his army.

Slowly but surely the High Elven warriors were taken care of, falling to his mighty undead legions. Sure they put up a fight, but it just wasn't enough to stop him. And once all the warriors had fallen Arthas took the final Mooncrystal.

"Well you got what you wanted."

Arthas turned and noticed his prisoner slowly walking away.

"I guess I'll just be-ah!" He was cut off by a hand wrapping around his throat. The Elf was then lifted off the ground, and now staring the Death Knight straight in the eyes. "N-No... please..."

"Sorry, but I have no further use for you." In an instant he plunged his blade into the Elf, killing him instantly. He then removed his blade, as well as his grip, making the traitor fall to the ground.

With that taken care of the Death Knight prepared to head to the gate.

* * *

Having warned the guards stationed at the other two Mooncrystal locations Link and Sylvanas headed to the Inner Gate. They had done their job in warning the High Elves of the impending attack, and exactly what they were dealing with. Now they wanted to be near the final gate, just in case the undead managed to get the Key of the Three Moons.

The pair reached the gate after a little while, and noticed it was still closed. That meant that the undead hadn't made it there yet, or perhaps they were unable to get the Mooncrystals. Either way, it made them sigh in relief.

"Hm, perhaps Arthas was unable to locate the Mooncrystals." Sylvanas stated as she walked over to the front of the gate.

The Hero of Time followed her and stopped right beside her.

For all non High Elves the Key of the Three Moons was the only way past the gate, but with a little bit of magic any Elf could advance. A nearby mage used her magic to open the gate, allowing her superior and the warrior to enter. Once they had passed through she closed the gate.

"Alright, now let's get going. If we can get to Silvermoon we can prepare the city for the inevitable siege." The Ranger General said.

"But Arthas doesn't have the Mooncrystals, so he can't even get past the gate."

She paused before turning to face him. "Still, we can't leave anything to chance." As much as she had faith that the Mooncrystals were safe she didn't want to take any risks. Should the worst happen then Silvermoon would need to be ready, and even if it didn't she wanted to be safe.

Link nodded as he followed her down the stone path.

They walked for a few feet before hearing something. Both turned around and noticed the gate was wide open, and mounted on his undead stead was Arthas.

Neither one could speak, as they were too shocked to say anything.

"Finally... the gates have been opened! Once we've dealt with Sylvanas, the inner kingdom shall be ours!" He bellowed as he rode forward.

Eventually Sylvanas found her voice. "Damn you monsters! What will it take to drive you back?" As much as she wanted to fight she knew it would be suicide, and so she ran in the opposite direction.

Link spared one last look at Arthas before following suit.

"The ranger woman is starting to vex me greatly." Despite that the Death Knight couldn't help but smirk. With that gate passed through there was nothing stopping him from reaching Silvermoon!

* * *

Alright I'll end it off right there. So Arthas retrieved the Key of the Three Moons thanks to a traitorous Elf, who I'm sure you all know *wink*. Now Arthas is ready to take on Silvermoon City, but don't think it'll be easy for him. And who was that person in the beginning, well you'll see soon enough. This chapter may have been on the shorter side, but I promise the next one will be even bigger. Be sure to R&amp;R and have a wonderful day!

FutureShock


	11. Defiance

Before we begin I would just like to apologize for the last chapter. I know some of you thought it was fine, but looking back I'm not exactly happy with it. When I started this story I planned to eventually get to when the undead invade Quel'Thalas, and once there I would follow with what happened in Warcraft 3. This of course, meant I would have to have the undead make it to Silvermoon, meaning Link wouldn't really be making a difference aside from slaying some undead here and there.

The previous chapter followed this to a tee, and as such felt kind of rushed(there wasn't much going on in that mission of Warcraft 3 but still). Also, while the Crypt Fiends and Goblin Zeppelin are in that level I could have done a better job of integrating them instead of just being like "here they are". And that elf(Dar'Khan, although I never mentioned their name so I could see why there could be confusion) is part of the lore, but again, I could have integrated him better.

Now this also would mean following the story to the letter, with everything being the same. That's all well and good, but in this case I have the freedom to deviate from that. I haven't done it yet... but that changes now! I had some ideas for this story, but they have since changed. The invasion of Silvermoon won't happen quite the same, and you'll soon find out why and how ;).

So I hope you accept my apology, and enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Defiance

What was once a beautiful land was now slowly dying. The lush green forests of Quel'Thalas were slowly succumbing to the blight of the undead. It left the landscapes barren and dead, and the foul stench of death filled the air. What made matters worse was just how much had changed in such a short amount of time.

A good amount of the Elven population had fallen to the undead legions, and those that weren't consumed were resurrected and forced to serve the monsters they had died fighting against. It was a horrible fate, both for the ones who died and the ones who had to fight them. Killing former High Elves felt wrong, but there was no other way around it.

Now the only remaining stronghold was Silvermoon City, and it was the only thing left standing in the Scourge's way.

Link and Sylvanas were still running, having not stopped since the second gate fell. They knew they had to reach Silvermoon and warn the Elves there of the oncoming attack. Getting the entire city ready for an attack would be tricky, but if they could manage it they could end up saving what remained of Quel'Thalas.

There was still a long way to the city, and given the state they were in they wouldn't be able to go much longer. So, when they reached an Elven town on the outskirts of the Inner Kingdom they decided to rest.

"I think... we lost them..." Sylvanas panted as she stopped near the center of the village.

"Lady Sylvanas!" A nearby guard came rushing over when he saw the Ranger General gasping for breath.

She turned to acknowledge him, but couldn't say much at the moment.

"Are you alright milady?" It was quite a surprise seeing _the _Sylvanas Windrunner sprinting into their village, and by the looks of it she had been doing so for quite a while.

After a few moments she regained more of her breath, and her breathing started slowing down a bit. "I'm f-fine, I've just been sprinting a lot today."

The guard breathed a sigh of relief, glad that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with her. "Well, is something the matter?" He asked, having a feeling the answer would be yes.

"I'm afraid so. It's the undead, they've invaded our lands." She explained, making him gasp. "They've broken through both the Outer and Inner gates, and Silvermoon has to be their next target."

In spite of that one gasp the guard's expression was neutral. "I see..." He put a hand to his chin, now deep in thought.

Link too had recovered and was also thinking.

"So what do you suggest we do milady?"

"Silvermoon is heavily guarded, and its defenses are impeccable... but we aren't ready. Even with all our soldiers, mages, and towers, our people have no idea what's coming. We'll be scrambling just to get our defenses up, and at that point it might be too late." It pained her to say that, but she knew there was some truth to that statement.

"Where are the undead now? If they aren't too far past the gate, then maybe we will have enough time to prepare." The Elven man suggested.

Sylvanas let out a sigh. "Link and I outran them for the moment, but they weren't that far behind." She explained, gesturing toward her companion. "They might wait before attacking, or they could just outright attack Silvermoon."

"Then perhaps we should take everyone and head to Silvermoon City right away!"

"There is no point in anyone staying here... but it's a long journey to Silvermoon, and if we encounter the Scourge along the way it could get ugly." The Ranger General noted.

The guard nodded before once again placing a hand to his chin. "Perhaps if we had some way to distract the undead; give us time to get Silvermoon up to speed."

She saw what he was getting at, and although it sounded like a brilliant plan there were some flaws. "But the only way to do that would be to send some troops over, and nobody would want to undertake a suicide mission."

"I'll do it!"

Both High Elves turned to the Hero of Time, noticing the serious expression on his face.

Sylvanas was the first to snap out of her shock. "Link, are you sure?" She had only known him for a short time, but she had grown a little attached to him. He had done more for her than almost anyone else she knew, and his devotion to saving Quel'Thalas was almost as big as her own. If she were to lose him... well, she didn't even want to think about that.

Link nodded.

In response to this the guard raised an eyebrow. "I admire your bravery lad, but you may be biting off more than you can chew."

"This could very well lead to my death, but it's the only way to ensure Silvermoon will be prepared for the invasion. I am the chosen hero of the Goddesses, and I put my life on the line to save all of Hyrule, and now I will do the same for Quel'Thalas."

The Elven guard found himself smirking a little. "You've got guts, and I can respect that." He then moved into a rigid position, and gave a salute. "On behalf of the Eleven Defenders and Silvermoon City, we thank you for what you are about to do."

The Hylian returned the gesture.

"Well, I'll get everyone up to speed. We should leave as quickly as we can." He received a nod from the Ranger General, and after giving her a salute he ran to put the plan in action.

Once the guard was gone Sylvanas approached Link. "Now are you really sure about this?"

There was a small pause before he answered. "I've repeatedly let you and every other Elf down. So many innocent lives I could have saved, but instead they're all dead. I might not be able to avenge them, and I may die trying, but I have to give it everything I've got." He explained, all the while clutching his fists tight.

She only nodded at him, understanding the way he felt. "I can't and won't stop you, but I only ask that you take care of yourself out there."

He gave her a small smile in response.

The High Elf could only smile back as she heard heavy footsteps approaching.

"Milady, I have informed the other guards of our situation and they are gathering the townspeople as we speak. It shouldn't be long before we can head to the city." He explained.

"Excellent. Now, about transportation?"

"We have some horses and wagons to load up, and a few Dragonhawks for experienced riders. Most of us will have to walk unfortunately."

All things considered it could have been worse, and at this point the Ranger General would take anything she could get. "That should be fine, and we can have the Dragonhawk Riders act as scouts to warn us of any oncoming threats." She stated.

The guard nodded before turning toward the brave man in green. "We can leave a few soldiers behind to help you if you want?"

Link shook his head no. "I won't let anymore High Elves die."

"Fair enough... but how do you plan on luring the undead over here?" Part of him figured the Scourge didn't have any kind of maps, and would most likely stumble upon his village by accident. Another part worried the undead would locate Silvermoon right away and completely ignore the village and lone warrior awaiting them.

"I think I can help with that." Sylvanas said with a sinister smirk.

* * *

After being told of the undead invasion of Quel'Thalas, and how most of the Elven lands had already been taken, every Elf in town prepared to depart for Silvermoon. Seeing as how time was of the essence, and that it would be a long journey, the citizens were told to pack light, and only bring the essentials.

There was a lot of confusion, worry, and fear in the air. It was shocking to say the least that the undead had ravaged a good amount of Quel'Thalas already. Pretty much every civilian was scared, and the fact that Silvermoon would be next terrified them further. It wasn't that they didn't think Silvermoon could defend itself, but it was literally the last stronghold of the High Elves. If it were to fall then it could mean the end of the High Elves, and that was a scary thought.

Once everyone grabbed what they wanted to bring they headed out to get the wagons loaded up. In a matter of moments the once empty carts were full of supplies and various belongings. It was tough to make room for it all, but organization was a strong suit of the Elves.

Shortly after, the High Elves of the village prepared to leave, unsure if they would ever see their homes again. They all waited near the edge of the village, the one with a path leading directly to Silvermoon. All they needed to do now was wait for both the scouts that traveled up ahead, and Sylvanas.

A few more moments passed before the Dragonhawks returned to the village. The majestic flying beasts came into view, with their red, yellow, and orange fur being visible from far away. They continued flying before landing upon the ground.

One of the riders looked over to the captain. "The road ahead is clear, and there's been no sign of any undead."

"Good, and once Lady Sylvanas returns we can head out."

Just then another Dragonhawk came flying in, but from a different direction. The beast flew for a few more feet before landing in front of the group. On said Dragonhawk, beside the rider, was Sylvanas Windrunner.

The Ranger General dismounted from the flying bird and approached the captain. "It worked. Arthas and some of his minions are on their way."

A small smile came to the guard's face. "Excellent." He then took a few steps forward before turning around to face his people. "Alright, let's get a move on! We need to reach Silvermoon as quickly as possible." With that he began moving.

Soon enough everyone was following his lead, all the while mentally preparing for the long journey ahead.

Sylvanas was about to leave but paused for a moment. She turned her body and noticed Link standing alone in the village, appearing as stoic as ever. The High Elf started approaching him, and stopped a few feet away from him.

Link simply stared at her, noticing the sad look on her face.

"Before I go, I just wanted to thank you again for what you're about to do. I know this can't be easy for you, but with your sacrifice we may be able to save Silvermoon." There was a small pause before she continued. "I don't know if I'll see you again, and if I don't, well..." She leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek.

The Hero of Time hadn't expected her to do that, and his face was quickly becoming a bright shade of red. He slowly brought a hand up to his cheek, and held it there for a few moments.

"Take care of yourself Link." With her goodbye said the Ranger General ran off to join the group.

Soon enough Link was all alone, save for the few critters scurrying around. A harsh wind blew at his back, but he didn't pay it any mind. His mind was feeling a bit frazzled, due to the sudden display of affection by his companion. A kiss to the cheek was nothing new, but that didn't mean he was completely comfortable with it.

He then remembered the plan they had come up with, and what was at stake. All of those other thoughts were pushed aside for the moment, as he was going to need total concentration for what he was about to do. That being said, the Hylian was either going to ward off however many undead were coming for him, or be slaughtered like every other High Elf. Either way, he would buy time for Slyvanas and the others, and that's all that mattered to him.

And so his brain got to work. The Hylian didn't know when Arthas was coming, or how many undead soldiers would be coming, but he would be ready none the less. Luckily for him the entire village was empty, meaning he had pretty much everything at his disposal. There were a lot of places to hide if need be, and he wouldn't be putting anyone in danger.

Before doing anything else he pulled out his Longshot, which he aimed at the roof of a nearby building. The hook traveled through the sky before embedding itself into said roof, and once that was done he released his grip. His body was pulled to the hook and as soon as the chain was back inside the device he grabbed onto the roof.

Link hoisted himself up and after getting on top of the building he walked forward a few feet before stopping. He then turned, giving himself a good vantage point of the entire village. A good lay of the land would be a great help to him, and his mind was already coming up with ideas. He stayed up there for a little while longer, just making sure he got the lay of the land down. Total awareness of his surroundings was key in battle, and would hopefully give him an edge over the Scourge.

A few more moments passed before he leapt off the building, making sure to roll upon hitting the ground. _'I never did thank that Deku Scrub for that tip.'_ He then stood up and began setting his plans into motion.

* * *

Arthas couldn't help but smirk as he and a small subset of his army trudged through the forest. He had set up another base camp after bringing down that Elf Gate, mostly to rally his forces before heading out again. He was nearing Silvermoon City, and it was only a matter of time before the city fell.

Unfortunately the High Elves were proving to be more and more stubborn, specifically the Ranger Woman, who had just made a small 'attack' on his forces. She was a real thorn in his side, and that little stunt she pulled angered the Death Knight. This led him to put the siege of Silvermoon on hold, in order to pursue the foolish woman.

On the surface, that seemed like a bad idea, and a waste of time. But Arthas knew what he was doing. Getting rid of Sylvanas would not only get her off his back, but also possibly cripple the Elves. She was the Ranger General after all, and unless there was someone else in charge she was all they had. It might not be an immediate effect, but not having their Ranger General would soon become a problem.

The smirk on his face grew a little bigger when an Elven village came into view. The size, plus the fact that the journey was so short, told him that this wasn't Silvermoon. He knew she wouldn't be dumb enough to lead him there, but at the same time it was a mistake to bring him to any village at all. It just meant more helpless Elves to slaughter, and more troops for the Scourge.

He continued riding for a bit before coming to a sudden stop, making his minions stop as well. "Hm, the place looks empty." Of course he was far away, and maybe the Elves were hiding in their homes like the cowards they were.

Figuring it was the latter, the Death Knight resumed riding. The grip on his sword tightened as his steed brought him closer to his victims. Behind him he could hear the snarling of the ghouls and skeletons, signaling their hunger for flesh. It was a gruesome sight indeed, seeing living beings getting ripped apart and consumed, but he took delight in seeing such suffering.

After a few more moments he and his army reached the edge of the town, and Arthas was right that the town wasn't empty. There was one man standing in the center, and it was one he knew all too well. It was the warrior clad in green, the one who was better than the rest.

Arthas glanced around, not seeing anyone else. "So, is it just you or are the other Elves hiding?"

The warrior didn't answer, instead just keeping his glare.

"And where is Sylvanas?" He took another look around, but there was no one. His gaze then fell back to the warrior, and soon after a chuckle escaped his mouth. "I get it now, yes, you Elves are clever. She lured me over here in order get everyone here to Silvermoon, and used you as a distraction for me."

Again, the warrior said nothing.

"Not much of a talker are you?" Arthas questioned with a slightly amused chuckle.

"Fight me!"

Surprised by his sudden speaking, the Death Knight flinched slightly. "What?"

"I said fight me, one on one. None of your undead minions!"

"You're pretty bold to be challenging me to a fight, but what makes you think I'll play by your rules?"

He didn't reply.

Arthas laughed. "You really are a fool. Kill him!" He ordered.

Without warning every skeletal warrior and ghoul rushed forward, ready to rip the Elf warrior limb by limb.

The green clad warrior took out his sword and shield, seemingly unconcerned by the large amount of enemies heading his way. Then, he started running, which soon became sprinting. A battle cry escaped his mouth as he began slashing his sword like crazy. His movements were fluid, fast, and deadly. Nothing stood in his way, and none of the skeletons lasted long.

Even when surrounded the man wasn't fazed. With his sword way out to the side he spun around, cutting all foes around him. And just when it seemed like he was vulnerable, given the small pause after spinning, he had his guard up almost instantly.

Watching from his mount, Arthas was a little impressed... okay, very impressed. By the looks of it the Elf was a master swordsman, a swordsman who also had magic. He didn't forget what he saw when he invaded the first Elven town. The warrior had many magical abilities, making him all the deadlier.

Several more moments passed before the combat stopped. The warrior in green stood there in a huge pile of bones, having not broken a sweat. His hard gaze fell back on Arthas, and it was as if he were speaking to him without even opening his mouth.

"You're pretty skilled with the sword; maybe you are worth the time after all." Arthas stated as he got off his horse. He now stood across from the warrior, with the two of them about the same height. His cold eyes locked with his foe's determined ones. "Before I kill you, let me know your name."

"I am Link, the Hero of Time!"

Another laugh escaped the Death Knight's mouth. He had no idea what that meant, and it was as if Link just said that to make himself seem cooler. "Well, Link, I salute your bravery. Your about to fight death itself, and you aren't making it out alive." He noted coldly.

Despite that warning the Hylian stood firm. "I won't be beaten by you! You've slaughtered countless Elves, and corrupted this beautiful land. I'm not going to let you reach Silvermoon!"

Arthas moved his free hand to the handle of his weapon, now gripping it with both hands. "Come and stop me."

With another battle cry Link rushed forward, holding his sword and shield tightly. As the gap was closing he raised his sword up, ready to strike at a moments notice. Once in range he swung the Master Sword, which met the blade of his opponent with a loud clang. The blade of the Master Sword pressed against his foe's much bigger sword, and he now found himself in a bit of a struggle.

On his part, the Death Knight was using his strength to keep his foe from advancing any further. Gritting his teeth, he used his power to knock his opponent back. Building on that he ran forward and raised Frostmourne up high, and then brought it down with a big amount of force.

Right before the impact the Hero of Time brought up his Hylian Shield. He could feel the impact the blade had against his shield, and were it not for the Golden Gauntlets increasing his strength, he was sure his wrist would have broken.

Link then pushed back, making his enemy stumble backwards. He quickly closed the gap and swung his blade, which was blocked by the gauntlet of his foe. Whatever that armor was made out of it, it was thick enough to not get damaged by his blade. That didn't deter him though, as there was one part of the body left exposed... the head.

Arthas brought that hand back to the handle of his weapon, and swung it upwards. Unfortunately his opponent back flipped in time, and avoided his attack all together. A smirk then came to the Death Knight's face as he channeled his unholy power through his blade, unleashing a Death Coil at his foe.

The Hylian landed from his back flip and then gasped at the oncoming projectile. With no time to block or dodge, he was forced to take it head on. A painful scream escaped his mouth as he was launched backwards, and landed on the ground hard. He let out a small groan as he tried to get back up.

His eyes then widened in shock as he noticed the undead charging at him. Reacting quickly he rolled to the side, avoiding a downward slash. Just as he was about to get up he was smacked in the face, sending him rolling across the ground. The Hylian did a few rotations before landing on his stomach, all the while noting the sharp pain in his cheek.

The Death Knight wasted no time in resuming his attack. He quickly moved to his downed enemy, bringing Frostmourne up for another strike. In just a few moments he reached the warrior, and brought his unholy weapon down hard.

Reacting quickly the Hero of Time brought up his Hylian Shield, protecting him from getting slashed. Now on his knees, he struggled to get back up, all the while keeping up his defense. Luckily he was able to regain some footing, while also pushing his enemy back a bit. With an exertion of force he managed to knock the Death Knight away.

Link then dashed forward, hoping to catch his opponent off guard. The gap was closed within an instant, and the Hylian was ready to resume the battle. "Hut! Hyah! Hut!" He attacked with ferocity, swinging his blade with a deadly precision.

On the other end, Arthas was a little surprised by the speed of his opponent. If it weren't for the size of his weapon, he might not have been able to block all the oncoming strikes. He knew he wasn't as fast as the Elf, but he had other advantages.

Keeping up the assault, the Hero of Time kept trying to break through his foe's defenses. Although his attacks were impressive he couldn't make it past that sword, and even if he did he could tell his opponent was smart enough to move his head out of the way.

And just when it looked like there was an opening, the Hylian found one of his legs getting kicked out from underneath him. Loosing his balance, he dropped to one knee, stopping him from attacking any further. Thinking quickly, he brought his shield up to block any oncoming attacks. A loud clanging sound afterword told him that his previous idea was a good one.

A devious grin came to Arthas' face as he pulled his blade back. As his opponent started getting up he raised his left leg, and then rammed his boot into his foe's gut. Hearing the painful scream of his foe as he flew back was quite satisfying.

The Hero of Time groaned as he struggled to get up, which was a little difficult. It felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him, but he couldn't let that stop him. He started to get up, only to realize the Master Sword had flown out of his hand. Out of the corner of his eye he could see it not too far away.

Right when he was about to get up he noticed the unholy blade about to come down on him, so he quickly rolled out of the way. That roll allowed him to get back to his feet, and he could see his opponent heading his way. With no time to get to his sword, he reached for his inventory to get something of use. In his haste he reached into the wrong bag, but he didn't have the time to try again.

Now sprinting, the Death Knight was close to killing the Elf. To his surprise, his opponent pulled out a big blue sphere from out of nowhere. "What the...?" After getting over the surprise his eyes widened in fear, as he remembered just what that thing was.

A loud boom sounded as the Bomb went off at point blank range. Both men screamed as the explosion blew them backward, making them both tumble across the ground. Luckily for Link he had his shield up, which helped protect him from some of the blast.

For Arthas, he took the full blunt of the explosion, and had no kind of protection. His armor protected his body for the most part, but his face had been completely exposed. There was now a big burn mark on his face. He put a hand to his face, and he felt the damage done. A low growl escaped his mouth as he slowly started getting to his feet.

Link too started getting up, and noticed he was much closer to his weapon. Moving quickly, as fast as he could after an explosion, and grabbed the Master Sword. Once he did he looked over at his opponent, who appeared to have been damaged by his makeshift attack. This made a small smirk come to his face. Sure, he may have received some damage, but any damage inflicted against his opponent was all he cared about.

"I wouldn't start celebrating yet." With a raise of his hand a skeleton came to life. He then held out the same hand, keeping it pointed at the skeleton. All of a sudden a red mist escaped the skeleton, all the while it started breaking down. Said mist was traveling toward the Death Knight.

At first the Hylian didn't know what was happening, but he soon found out. He gasped when he noticed the burn on his foe's face started clearing away, and soon enough it was gone completely.

"That feels better." Arthas noted with a chuckle, only to then notice how shocked his enemy was. "I have the power of death itself boy. Just as I can raise an army I can easily destroy it, and I can feed off of any undead life force. So you can keep fighting me, but I can just keep healing myself."

It took only a moment for Link to regain his composure. Sure, this bit of information certainly made his job harder, but that wasn't going to be enough to stop him. It merely meant that the only way to end the fight was with a killing blow... and unluckily for his opponent Link was no stranger to killing.

The Death Knight could see the Elf was ready for another round. He too was ready, but before returning to the battle he had a quick question. "Tell me, that's no ordinary blade you carry is it?"

Link said nothing.

"It must be, because no ordinary sword would last this long against the might of Frostmourne."

"...You're right, this is a special blade. This is the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane. It's a holy weapon that evil beings can't touch, and only the Hero of Time can wield it."

Arthas scoffed. "You're really trying to sell me on this "Hero of Time" nonsense, but I'm still not convinced. You are an excellent fighter, but you're no hero." He stated coldly as he began walking forward.

The grip on the Hylian's equipment tightened. "You'll see soon enough." Not a moment later he broke out into a run, intent on meeting his foe head on.

Frostmourne clashed with the Master Sword, creating yet another loud clang. The two blades clashed several more times, with neither one having an advantage over the other. The size and raw power behind Frostmourne couldn't match the speed of the Master Sword, and said blade had a hard time trying to hit around the massive blade.

Eventually Link managed to get a slash in, but he only managed to scrape armor as his opponent moved just in time. As he was about to go in for another strike he was smacked in the face by the backside of his foe's right hand. A little disoriented, he was helpless to protect himself from a diagonal slash across the chest.

While he may have been wearing chainmail that obviously wasn't enough to completely protect his chest. The pain stung quite a bit, and he could see blood starting to trickle out of it, but he did his best to ignore it. One way to do that was by retaliating, which he did by swinging his right arm with all his force. This sent his shield straight into his enemy's face.

Unprepared for that sudden assault on his face, Arthas took the hit full force. He grunted in pain, having a feeling his nose was now broken. A low growl escaped his lips as the Death Knight swung his sword yet again.

Link quickly ducked, barely avoiding losing his head. He didn't get time to breath as Frostmourne came down again, forcing him to roll to the side. Realizing he was in a bad spot, and because his wound was starting to get worse, he started putting some distance between him and his foe. The Hero of Time did a backflip, and then started walking back a bit, hoping that that would be enough to give him some breathing room. Unfortunately for him his opponent wasn't about to let up, and was quickly charging at him.

Without even realizing it Link's hands moved to his side, and a blue light began shining within his palms. He then got down on one knee, while also placing his hands out to either side of him.

Time seemed to slow down as the Death Knight neared his pray. He wasn't sure what the Elf was doing, but it didn't matter to him in the slightest. Once he was in range he swung his blade, intent on cutting off the Elf's head... except that didn't happen. "What the?"

A big sigh of relief escaped the Hylian's mouth. He had cast Nayru's Love at just the right time, as any later and he would have died. _'Come to think of it, I should have used this in my earlier fights.'_

Arthas wasn't sure what exactly had happened. One moment his opponent was there, and the next there was some kind of blue aura around him. It didn't take long though for him to realize what his foe had done. "I see, you put up a magical shield to protect yourself."

Despite the big cut on his body Link couldn't help but smirk.

"Well no matter, I'm sure it won't last forever."

All the Hero of Time really needed was a moment, but thanks to Nayru's Love he now had several. The first thing he did was put away his equipment, and after that he reached into his inventory and pulled out a Red Potion. He removed the cork and began drinking it, and he could already feel the effects. His wound began closing up, albeit slower than if he had used a Fairy. Since his wound wasn't severe he only drank a little bit, and when he was finished he closed the bottle and put it away.

While that was going on the Death Knight had taken several steps back, all the while grinning.

Now that he was healed, and because Nayru's Love was still active, the Hylian grabbed his sword and shield and prepared himself for the next attack.

Seeing this coming, Arthas raised his weapon high. Shortly after doing so the ground underneath them began to rumble and crack a bit. That was followed by numerous arms popping out of the ground, which was then followed by heads and bodies.

Link stood in awe as a good amount of undead had just risen from the ground, with only a raise of an arm. He had already proven he was capable of dealing with them, but it was still surprising seeing how easy it was to raise the dead.

As he stood there he could feel Nayru's Love slowly starting to wear off. Realizing there wasn't much time left he ran forward, not caring about the skeletons in his path. His sword moved fluidly as he cut his way through the recently created obstacle. Luckily for him he was protected against their attacks... although even without Nayru's Love he would have been fine.

After slicing the last undead down the Hero of Time set his sights on his original opponent. Right as he did so though he saw another Death Coil heading his way, and he noticed it a bit too late. Once again he was hit square in the chest, and the impact knocked him down. It also didn't do any favors to his recently treated cut, which felt as if it was opening up again.

The Death Knight grinned as he ran over to his downed foe. Once in range he brought Frostmourne up, only to bring it down hard a moment later. His enemy rolled out of the way at the last moment, just barely avoiding death. Arthas then quickly brought his left leg up and kicked his foe square in the gut.

A surge of pain coursed through the Hylian as he rolled across the ground. That armor was really strong, and heavy, which certainly didn't do his ribs any favor. Still, the fight wasn't over, so he had to get back up no matter what.

Just as he started to rise he noticed his sword and shield behind Arthas, who was now heading toward him. Reacting quickly, he reached deep into his inventory. His hand soon found the handle of the Megaton Hammer, which he quickly unleashed.

"I have you now!" Arthas again raised his weapon high, but unlike last time his foe was completely helpless to defend himself. Confident in his chance for victory, the Death Knight brought his sword down hard... only to hit something. "What the?!"

Using the handle, Link successfully blocked the oncoming attack. His left hand gripped the end of the handle firmly, and his other rested upon the head of the hammer. A struggle for power quickly ensued, but the Hero of Time was slowly starting to push back. Putting his Golden Gauntlets to use, he pushed his opponent back.

Without wasting time the Hylian rushed forward. His enemy was still staggering, giving him an opening. As he ran he slowly raised his hammer up, making it level with his foe's head. "Hyah!" With a mighty swing he cracked Arthas in the side of the head with his Megaton Hammer.

"Ugh!" The Death Knight screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. A big headache started overtaking him, and the side of his head just hurt in general. It felt as though his brain was starting to fail, or maybe that was just the pain numbing his senses. His vision was also getting blurry.

Meanwhile Link walked over to retrieve his equipment, all the while putting away his current weapon. A few seconds later he grabbed his sword and shield, now gripping them tightly. With that done he turned around and noticed his opponent making efforts to recover. Seeing the opportunity to attack, the Hylian took it.

Arthas groaned as his hand found the handle of Frostmourne, which tightened upon impact. Despite his blurry vision he could see the Elf heading his way, and if he didn't do something he wouldn't make it. Thinking quickly, he raised the remains around him, bringing more undead back to life. It wasn't nearly as much as before, but it was better than nothing.

The Hero of Time knew that this was just meant to distract him, and he wasn't about to let his enemy recover. With that in mind he moved quickly to dispatch all of the undead soldiers. The Master Sword struck swiftly and with deadly precision, easily taking care of the warriors in front of him.

Once the undead were gone Link resumed his course. Unfortunately, that distraction had proved to be enough, as his opponent was counterattacking. "AH!" A big cut appeared on his left lag, courtesy of Frostmourne. The pain made him drop to his knee, and even though he had been wearing chainmail it didn't quite help him.

Now closer to the ground, and because of the freshly made cut on his leg, he wasn't in a position to move. Instead, he figured he could use this as an opportunity to strike. The Hylian could see his foe was still a little dazed, but that didn't mean he was completely vulnerable.

The Death Knight shook his head lightly before swinging his sword yet again, albeit with not as much force due to the recent impact against his head. Frostmourne cut through the air, only to hit his enemy's shield with a loud clang. He swung his weapon once again, but it yielded similar results.

Link drew his Hylian Shield back and swung his sword toward his foe's head. Unfortunately he was just out of reach, and couldn't quite reach his intended target. As such he ended up lunging forward a bit too much, and before he could react he was kicked hard in the jaw. It felt as though his jaw broke from the impact, and he was launched back several feet as well, landing hard on his back.

"I have to admit, y-you're a very worthy opponent." Arthas began as he started getting to his feet. "I'm sure that we could keep this up for a long time, but that just isn't the case."

"Ugh..." The Hero of Time was in a bit of pain, and his weapons were once again away from him.

Back on his feet, Arthas clutched Frostmourne tightly as he began moving toward his downed foe. "I possess a far greater power than you could ever hope to understand. I salute your courage, but in the end you were just another pitiful Elf thinking he could change fate."

Realizing that there weren't many options left, Link began reaching into his inventory for something. There was a chance he would die, but if he could pull his plan off he could possibly survive.

"Well 'Hero of Time', it looks like this is the end for you." Arthas raised his sword up, intent of stabbing the Elf through his heart.

Time seemed to slow down as Link pulled out his Fairy Bow and an arrow, which soon became bathed in a golden light. Taking a small moment to aim, he unleashed a Light Arrow upon his opponent.

Arthas saw the projectile coming but couldn't do anything to dodge or block it, not that he would need to because of his armor protecting him. The arrow hit his chest plate, and while the arrowhead didn't pierce his heavy armor he still felt pain. It was as if he had been hit by Holy magic, and the burning sensation confirmed his suspicions. "Ahhhh!" His grip on his weapon loosened as his body struggled against the light burning his undead body.

Link noticed that his Light Arrow had worked despite not hitting any exposed fleshed, and now his opponent was vulnerable.

Ignoring the pain coursing through his body, the Hero of Time forced himself to a stand. He then ran over to grab the Master Sword, which he did a few seconds later. With his sword in hand he turned to face Arthas, and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do. "Hyah!" With all his might he swung his blade.

Still in pain due to the previous attack, the Death Knight was helpless to defend himself. In a mere moment he went from being in severe pain, to being dead. His head had been cut clean off his body, which fell to the ground shortly after. The rest of his body remained standing before also hitting the ground, with blood beginning to pour out of the open wound.

Everything went silent as the Hero of Time simply stood in place; the shock of what just happened still catching up to him. He had done it, he had won. The seemingly invincible monster was now dead, and without any of those robbed undead around he wasn't coming back any time soon.

A small smirk came to his face before his adrenaline wore off, and combined with the pain he endured, made him fall to the ground as well. Several deep breathes escaped his mouth as he laid on the soft grass. Weariness started taking over as the Hylian laid there, finding it very comfortable. Sometimes a nice patch of grass was all he needed to sleep, and in some cases that's all he ever received.

As much as he wanted to fall asleep right there he knew he couldn't. Sure, Arthas may be gone, but there was still an entire army out there ready to attack. So, he forced himself up off the grass.

Link struggled a bit to stand, but was eventually able to stabilize himself. Once stable he put away his sword before walking over and retrieving his shield. With those safely secured to his back he was ready to move out. It was going to be a long journey to Silvermoon, and he wasn't entirely sure where to go, but he figured it wouldn't be too hard to find.

Just as he was about to leave he noticed Frostmourne out of the corner of his eye. It was laying there on the ground next to his fallen opponent, still glowing with a blue light. That was no ordinary sword, and seemed to be radiating with evil energy. The Hylian figured the blade was important in some way, and didn't want to just leave it there.

With that in mind he figured destroying it was the best option, and he had just the thing. Reaching into his inventory he pulled out his Megaton Hammer, and once he had it he gripped it tightly. A small feeling of doubt washed over him as he was unsure if his hammer would be able to destroy the enchanted weapon, but it was the only thing that would be strong enough.

Before doing that though he reached back into his inventory and pulled out the same bottle of Red Potion from earlier. He removed the cork and downed the rest of the drink, wiping his mouth off afterwords. Already he could feel the potion starting to heal him, as well as restore his much needed energy. And while he wasn't quite back at full strength he felt better.

Now with some of his strength back, the Hero of Time placed both hands on the hammer's handle. He lifted it up and then brought it down hard onto Frostmourne, which caused a loud clang. Lifting the hammer up revealed some cracks along the spot the Megaton Hammer struck, and so he repeated the process.

Several more cracks spread along Frostmourne as it was repeatedly struck with the heavy hammer. Soon enough the weapon finally broke apart into two pieces, with smaller chunks flying off in various directions due to the impact. As the weapon lay there in two a bunch of light blue lights began seeping out of the destroyed weapon, all of which were flying upward into the air.

Link's eyes widened as he caught sight of the strange phenomenon, having no idea what was happening. Perhaps those were the spirits of Arthas' victims, and since the sword as broken there was nothing to hold them. How a sword could even contain spirits were beyond him, but he figured it had something to do with the undead's power.

The Hero of Time continued staring before shaking his head. His next priority was getting to Silvermoon and helping prepare the city for the undead's invasion. A deep breath escaped his mouth as he began heading the way Sylvanas and the others went.

Link reached the end of the village and paused. He turned his head back to the lifeless body of Arthas, and he stared at him for a few moments before returning his gaze forward and continuing walking.

* * *

Arthas' body lay on the grass, which was now soaked with blood. With no one else around his corpse remained there, and until someone came and disposed of it that's where it would remain.

Suddenly a portal opened up next to the fallen champion, and shortly after something walked out. It was a tall creature, almost as tall as some of the Elven buildings, with a hulking physique. Two horns protruded from its forehead, and a huge pair of wings sprouted from its back. It had razor sharp claws, and it stood upon two hooves.

The figure stood there as its gaze lowered to the corpse in front of him. "The Lich King's champion..." He scoffed before getting down and searching the corpse. After a few moments he found what he was looking for, which was an urn. "I knew it was a mistake to trust a _human _with this task."

With the item retrieved he prepared to leave. He stopped and spared a glance down at Arthas, all the while wondering if he should take the Death Knight with him. He scoffed at the idea though, seeing as how there was no real point. Frostmourne had been destroyed, and without it Arthas was as worthless as all the other mindless undead.

His mind made up, he began going back through the portal. "I suppose if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

* * *

Well, Arthas is dead... how do you like them apples? I had originally planned to have Arthas win in the fight(and I feel like that could happen because Arthas is extremely powerful, almost like Ganondorf in a way) but as you read earlier I'm flipping the script. I do like Arthas and think he's a great character, but sadly he won't be showing up again. Also, I feel like the Megaton Hammer would be capable of shattering Frostmourne, because while it may be enchanted it's still just a sword, a strong sword but a sword none the less. What will happen next now that Arthas is gone, and who was that at the end, well you'll just have to wait and see, and this time it'll be a surprise! Be sure to R&amp;R and have a wonderful day!

FutureShock


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